


Girlfriend for one night

by KeyHey



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dapper Lexa, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Hippie Clarke, I'll add more characters as story continues, Light Angst, Yuppie Lexa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-29
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-25 11:17:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10763172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeyHey/pseuds/KeyHey
Summary: Clarke needed a girlfriend or a boyfriend.  It didn't matter. The important was that they are attractive, friendly and successful and the most important, willing to pretend to be her fiancé for just one night, in order that her meddling family stop interfering in her life.And she found it in a barLexa Woods. The kind of executive her family wanted for her, which didn't pose any danger to her independence. But that gorgeous, temporary girlfriend began to become something very permanent in her life ...





	1. Meeting the familly

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with a new story. If you want to check out my stories, I have two more in my profile. But, this is something new, for me at least. I know there are many stories where Clarke and Lexa pretend to be in a relationship and all are good, but this story puts Lexa and Clarke in some interesting situations... I hope that you'll like it.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

Lexa Woods stared at the women who asked her that question. With the crystals hanging from her neck, the long earrings and the flower-print dress, she looked out of place in that fashionable San Francisco bar. Her large blue eyes and heart-shaped face weren’t lacking in an appeal. She wasn’t wearing makeup and had tiny freckles on her nose. It wasn’t the kind of girlfriend I was hoping to meet one day. Lexa didn’t know her, didn’t even know her name. She had approached her, said hello and asked that question. A question Lexa had hardly heard because of the background noise of the establishment. She didn’t know if that woman had spoken seriously or if she had one drink too much. Lexa only remembered asking for one, the one containing the cold glass in her hand. "Excuse me, what did you say?"

After a sigh, the woman pushed a strand of blond, wavy hair down her shoulders. "Do you want to be my girlfriend? Just for tonight, of course." She said that it as if it were the most natural and logical thing in the world.

At least now, Lexa knew it wasn’t the beer, this time she was sure she heard it correct. So, Lexa took another sip of her drink and felt the cold liquid trickle down her throat. After a hard day at work in the office, all she wanted was a beer and then go home to rest. Then, Lexa put the glass down on the bar. "Why do you need a girlfriend tonight?" Lexa asked.

"It is a very complicated story." The woman extended Lexa's arm and ten she raised the sleeve of her jacket and looked the time on my Rolex. "I don’t have time to explain."

She was asking for much without giving an explanation or anything. Lexa raised her eyebrow and smirked, giving her a clear sign that she wasn’t going anywhere without an explanation.

The woman then looked up at the ceiling and saw that she didn’t have any other choice, but to explain. "I got into a mess with my family. It's just a dinner, that's all. My father invites, so it won't cost you a cent.

Lexa hesitated. The woman was attractive enough and she wouldn’t have any trouble getting a real girlfriend or boyfriend.

"Well, are you willing to be my girlfriend for tonight or not? I'm sorry if I'm impatient; but if you say no, I'll have to look for someone else." The women then looked around the bar, clearly looking for a different person.

Lexa didn’t know why she was even considering the proposition. The woman had appeared as if by magic, and Lexa couldn’t contain her curiosity. The urgency and concern in her eyes indicated sincerity, but Lexa never took any chances. Spontaneity wasn’t part of her life plan. But, if she responded with a refusal, the blonde would have no problem in asking any other woman to be her girlfriend for that night. Lexa didn’t really think that she was a thief, she looked innocent and vulnerable. With her at least she would be safe. "It's something important to you, isn’t it?"

"Yes." The girl answered.

A free dinner and an attractive woman. It seemed too easy. Lexa then thought of Costia Crowe, who worked in the office next to hers. That woman was her type. But, that same afternoon she had seen Costia's girlfriend picking her up for work. Lexa had spent three years wanting to ask her out, but her long hours at work had stopped her. Now, Costia has a girlfriend and she was having a beer alone. So, why not? Maybe what she needed it was exactly that, a bit of adventure in her life... "Okay." Lexa heard herself say.

The woman then threw her arms around Lexa's neck and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you. Thank you very much."

Her spontaneity surprised Lexa and she noticed the stares of envy that the men across the bar threw at her. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.

Then suddenly, she was pulling Lexa towards the exit. "Come on, let's go or we'll be late."

"Wait, I still have to pay for the beer." Lexa said. But, before Lexa could retrieve her wallet, the girl opened her purse and pulled out a five-dollar bill.

"Is this enough?"

"Yes."

She left the bill at the bar. "Anything else?"

"No…" Lexa answered.

"Then, let's go," She said and continued pulling her towards the exit.

A fresh breeze was blowing in the bay of San Francisco. To the right of where they were, the lights of the bridge were glittered against the sky of the evening. The pleasant autumn weather was very refreshing after a day of work in a skyscraper.

"Do you have a car?" She asked.

"Not here."

The woman rubbed her temples. "Well, we'll have to take a taxi."

"Where are we going to...?"Lexa asked, trying to find out something more.

"I'll explain everything in a moment," the woman stopped a taxi. "To Arkadia, please."

Arkadia, Lexa thought. I was going to have great dinner that night; the restaurant was one of the best in city. When the taxi started, the women burst into laughter.  
Lexa stared at her for a moment. The uncontainable joy of this woman and her energy captivated Lexa. She had never met anyone remotely alike.

"I don’t even know your name," the girl looked at Lexa with a smile on her face.

"Lexa Woods"

"Lexa Woods," she repeated. "I like it. Well, Lexa, we'd better have a talk. After all, we are engaged."

The taxi driver coughed, but Lexa ignored him. "Would you mind telling me your name?" Lexa asked.

"Clarke."

A very serious name for such a cheerful person. "Clarke what?"

"Griffin. Clarke Griffin." She heaved a sigh. "I can hardly believe I found you and you actually said yes."

"Why do you need a girlfriend for?"

Clarke hesitated, her golden brows arched.

"I have to know the details, if not ..." Lexa started saying, but the girl interrupted her.

"You're right," Clarke paused, "I'll tell you what is going on, but first. We met three weeks ago, fell madly in love and got engaged. My parents have decided that they wanted to meet the woman who has stolen my heart, so they called me this morning to tell me that they came from Carmel to invite us to dinner tonight."

"Are your parents retired?"

"That is what my mother believes, but my father has his own business and he isn’t willing to retire at all."

"What happened to your real girlfriend?"

"What real girlfriend?"

"Isn't that what you told your parents, that you have a girlfriend?

"Yes, but I made it up," Clarke replied.

Was she a compulsive liar? Lexa wondered. "Did you tell your family that you had a girlfriend without actually having one?

Clarke shrugged. "I thought it was a good idea at the time. Sometimes ... I'm a little impulsive. And it's fiancé." She smiled like a naughty little girl when she shared a secret.

Lexa bursts into laughter. "I never would have thought of that."

"Lexa, I want to thank you," her eyes were shining with gratitude. "I knew you were a good woman, you have a wonderful aura."

Aura? Lexa didn’t know people who used those terms when talking. Did she belong to the New Age people? However, since she had agreed to follow her game, who was Lexa to judge her? Besides, it was too late to back out. Tomorrow, in the office, she would remember this night and laugh.

A smile lit up Clarke's beautiful face. "I don’t know what I would have done if you had said no."

"Well, that shouldn’t worry you," Lexa answered, trying not to stare at her; considering how the dress exalted her full breasts.

The night was beginning to look promising. There was more to life than numbers and business. And she was no different from other person; she also needed some rest and fun.

"I'm serious, you've saved my life."

"At your service, my lady. We, the Woods, were born to please," Lexa didn’t know if it was the full moon or the perfume of that woman, but something had made her feel carefree and adventurous. "Changing the subject, is there anything else I should know about you or anything in general for the dinner?

"Well, I guess you should know a few things about me." She bit her lips thoughtfully. "Let's see ... my favorite color is purple. I love flowers and caramel ice cream. I am not a vegetarian because, from time to time, I like to eat a hamburger." She smiled. "I love reading. I only use sheets that are one hundred percent cotton and I sleep naked."

Perplexed, Lexa stared at her. Caramel ice cream and sleeps naked. Her body temperature went up.

"And you?" Clarke asked.

Lexa couldn’t think clearly, but Clarke was looking at her and Lexa had to say something. "I like ice cream too."

"And what else?" Lexa just stared into her eyes and was mesmerized. Don’t you like any sport?

"American football." Lexa said.

"What is your favorite color?" Clarke continued asking.

The color of Clarke's eyes was like a cloudless summer sky. That shade of blue was amazing.

Clarke clapped her hand ."Don’t worry; we'll improvise it on the spot."

What was wrong with her? Lexa felt almost dizzy. Maybe she just needed to eat something.

The taxi stopped in front of the restaurant, and Clarke gave the cabbie a ten-dollar bill; then she got out of the car. "Ready?"

Why not? Lexa cleared her throat. "Yeah..."

Clarke pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and straightened my tie. Then she took my hand. "Don’t forget that we're madly in love."

Madly in love? Maybe they were just crazy. Lexa thought, this whole situation was just ridiculous.

Clarke pulled her into the restaurant, and Lexa found it difficult to hide her nervousness. She wasn’t a good actress; but if she managed to get away from this situation that night, she would deserve an Oscar.

Clarke looked for her family around the restaurant, but they weren’t at the bar of the restaurant; although she did see the image of Lexa in the mirror. That night, luck was on her side. Lexa was perfect, just the girlfriend she had hoped to find. Her suit was made of cashmere, and was costume made. She even wore a Rolex. Her demanding parents couldn’t beat Lexa Woods. Soon they would show their approval and stop interfering in her private life. After that night, the endless blind dates would end and they won't play matchmakers again. And she would live her life at peace again. She smiled delightedly at herself. She had found the perfect girlfriend. Her sister Emily will also be jealous, and that was an extra bonus. Clarke didn’t care what Finn, her brother-in-law, would think, as long as he didn’t make his opinion public. Clarke didn’t want to hear anything that Finn Collins could tell her, she would be a much happier woman if she doesn’t see him again in her life.

A waitress, an attractive redhead, took them to their table. Other waiters came and went with steaming plates of food and bottles of wine. It smelled of garlic and basil. Clarke hadn’t eaten anything all day and she was starving.

"Here's your family," the waitress said. "I hope you enjoy your dinner, Mrs. Griffin."

"Thank you." Clarke watched her family as she and Lexa were sitting at the table.

They looked like a family coming out of a magazine cover or from the opera. She had tried to integrate, but she couldn’t. Maybe one day they would accept her the way she was, but...

Her mother, Abby Griffin, wore a black dress, design from St. John. Even the last strand of her hair was in place, and her sparkling earrings gleamed to be admired. She was a very beautiful woman who seemed closer to thirty years than she had been in the forties. Abby went to the gym every day to keep fit. What would she do if one of her two daughters gave her a grandchild? Clarke couldn’t imagine her letting anyone call her grandmother.

"Didn’t I tell you her fiancé was coming, Emily? Abby said. "And look, I was right, the fiancé exists."

Clarke blinked. She was going to prove to her parents that she could find a girl without any help and without interference from anyone. "Sorry for the delay, but it's because, as we were getting into the taxi, I asked the driver to give us a couple more laps before we came here.

Her mother blushed. "Clarke, please."

"Don’t mind her, Abby," the great Jake Griffin said to his wife. His blond hair had turned gray and yet he was still an attractive man with bright blue eyes and a cheerful smile. "At least, this girl looks normal... unless she has tattoos under her suit."

Clarke bent down and kissed her father's tanned cheek. Maybe she was the black sheep of the family, but she was his father's girl. "Underneath the suit she has nothing, except for a killer body, Dad."

"Clarke, please," her sister, Emily said, imitating her mother's favorite phrase. "Don’t you have any class?"

Class? Did Emily talk about class? "No, you kept it when they shared the DNA."

Her twin sister, Emily, was twenty minutes older than she, two centimeters taller and seven kilos thinner. She had dyed her blonde hair black and tucked it a bow. She wore a black designer dress, but the sophisticated style didn’t suit her. The two twins couldn’t be more different. The only thing they had shared was the date of birth ... until Finn Collins appeared.

Finn. At that moment, he was almost pitiful. Sweat washed over his forehead and Clarke could feel the uncomfortable feeling he gave of. A professional, nondescript haircut had replaced the black mane of hair, the hair that not long ago had drawn Clarke to him and that same hair that once gave him an untamed appearance, now lacked completely from any attractiveness. On one occasion in the past, Clarke made the mistake of saying that Finn that reminded her of Brad Pitt in one of his first films, but with black hair, and Finn used the information to create his version of Tristan. Who could blame her for falling in love with him? But Clarke came to discover that those nights spent on his motorcycle contemplating the stars were nothing more than theater. Finn wanted professional success, and she was his instrument to get it, until, of course, he met Emily. Looking back, Clarke realized that was the best thing that could've happen to her; she only hoped that Finn will make her sister happy.

"Are you going to introduce us to your girlfriend, honey?" Jake asked.

Lexa. Clarke had forgotten that she was there to introduce her girlfriend to her family. "Lexa, this is my family. Family, this is Lexa Woods, the woman of my life." After the introductions, Clarke and Lexa sat at the table. For several uncomfortable minutes, no one said anything. Clarke ate a slice of bread after her bowels roared. The waiter arrived, took note of what everyone wanted and then he left. They were silent again. I had to think of something to say...

"Mrs. Griffin, Mr. Griffin, I want to thank you for having invited us to dinner." The sincere voice of Lexa surprised Clarke.

Jake lifted his glass of wine and nodded." It's a pleasure, Lexa" Abby replied smiling. "And, please, call us by our first names. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin are the parents of my husband."

Lexa smiled. A smile that was evident in her eyes.

Until now, Clarke hadn’t realized how extraordinarily beautiful that girl was.

My mother says the same, Abby" Lexa pronounced the name. "Clarke and I have been so absorbed with each other that ... Anyway, I'm very glad to meet you."

"We're delighted, too," Jake said, not taking his eyes off Lexa. "I must admit, when Clarke told us that you were engaged, we were very surprised by the news. After all, Emily and Finn have just returned from their honeymoon trip."

"How was the honeymoon?" Clarke asked, trying to change the subject, she didn’t want Lexa to know the details of her past with Finn.

"Wonderful," Finn replied. "It was all I dreamed of."

"Where have you been?" Lexa asked.

"In the Mediterranean. We were cruising for three weeks," Emily replied, smiling at her husband. "We have stopped in so many places that we don’t even know where. It was so fun, but also exhausting."

Finn arched an eyebrow and asked. "Have you decided where you are going to spend the honeymoon?"

Clarke had to restrain herself from throwing a loaf of bread at his head and she feigned a smile. "Lexa is in charge of preparing the honeymoon."

Without hesitation, Lexa described her idea of the honeymoon: two weeks of complete relaxation on a tropical island, white sand, crystalline blue waters, gentle breeze and no interference.

Clarke imagined Lexa on the beach, jumping waves, putting cream on her body, making...

Finn winced. "I can't imagine Clarke sitting on a beach doing nothing for two hours, let alone for two weeks."

"We don’t plan on sitting," Lexa answered before smirking; then she took a piece of bread to her mouth.

Clarke's cheeks burned. It could be so easy to fall in love with Lexa Woods. Too bad she wasn’t her type. Although, of course, she wasn’t interested in any type.

"Well, it's enough with honeymoons." Jake straightened in his seat. He certainly didn’t like the idea that his daughters, married or not, slept with anyone.

"Why don’t we talk about the wedding?" Abby suggested. "Have you already decided on the day?"

"No," Clarke said. "We still don’t know if we want a traditional wedding or not."

"I'm not surprised," Emily murmured. "I've noticed you don’t even have a ring yet."

"It's because the ring that Clarke is going to wear is my grandmother's, and I haven’t had time to fly to my parents' home to pick it up," Lexa answered.

"Your grandmother's ring." Abby smiled. "Oh, that's wonderful, a family tradition!  
Lexa smiled at Clarke.

Finn looked at the stone Emily had on a finger. "Great. Lexa already has the ring and Clarke already has the wedding dress." He said.

Clarke clenched her hands in two fists. She felt the tension between her sister and Finn.

"She can't wear that dress, Finn" Emily said with uncharacteristic consideration. "She bought it for ... you."

"But she didn’t wear it," Finn said. "It would be a waste to hang that dress in a closet for the rest of her life."

Clarke tensed. Lexa put an arm around her shoulders and pulled Clarke to her. "Are you okay?" She asked in a whisper.

Clarke nodded. At least someone cared, or seemed to mind, about her feelings. "I've sold the dress."

"This time," Abby raised her glass of wine, "I want to accompany you to buy new wedding dress."

"Of course, Mom." Clarke smiled at her mother and thought, that day will never come.

"There's plenty of time to talk about the wedding," Jake said. "All I know is that my girl is happy and that makes me happy too."

"It's my duty to make her happy." Lexa stroked Clarke's cheek with her fingertips and she felt an electric wave pass through her body.

"And you are excellent with your obligations." Clarke had to be careful because if she wasn’t careful, she would fall in love with this strange girl.

"Lexa, what do you do, if you don't mind me asking." Emily asked.

"And, the interrogation begins," Clarke said with a false smile. This was going to be interesting. Clarke supposed that Lexa was a lawyer; she looked like an overpaid lawyer."Come on, sweetie; tell them what you're working on."

Lexa cleared her throat. "Capital investments."

No! Not again capital investments! Clarke clenched her teeth to keep her mouth from opening.

Jake grinned from ear to ear. He was the king of the profession. "I was going to say that your face was familiar to me, Lexa. Who do you work for, for Sand Hill? No, you work at Trikru Partners, right? Yes, I remember, you handled the MagicSoft business.

Lexa nodded.

"Impressive!" Jake said, and he wasn’t a man that flatters to anyone. "Honey, why didn’t you tell me your girlfriend was from the profession?"

Clarke didn’t know what to answer. Lexa looked like a lawyer; she was supposed to be a lawyer. How could she have been so stupid? Why hadn’t she asked her what her job is? Griffin Venture Group was one of the most prestigious companies in the country. Anyone spent any time in the profession would give anything to learn from the great, Jake Griffin. Also, marrying the boss's daughter was one of the best options, which Finn Collins had understood very well.

"You see, Dad ..." – Clarke started.

"We wanted to tell you personally," Lexa said. "I didn’t want you to think that I want to marry your daughter because she was your daughter."

Jake looked at Finn and then at Lexa. "Does that mean that you aren’t interested in joining my group?"

Clarke stared at Lexa without knowing, she also wanted to know Lexa's answer. Finn lied when she asked him the same question.

"I wouldn’t say no, but my main interest is Clarke. Marriage takes time and effort, new job would add pressure. I want to be a good fiancé and a good wife, so I don’t see myself changing jobs in the near future."

Clarke smiled, she was really excited. She always hoped to find a person who said those words, to think of her rather than themselves. Lexa had answered the question well, she even seemed sincere. Maybe not everyone was like Finn, maybe there were more people like Lexa.

She was the perfect fiancée for that night, and Clarke was sure she would be a great wife. A great wife for someone else, Clarke thought with some regret.

"Clarke, you've found a good woman. She's perfect." Abby smiled.

"Abby, you don’t need make-up to be beautiful," Jake said to his wife and she smiled.

"I hope you're very happy," Abby told Lexa and her daughter.

"Abby, you read my mind." Jake raised his cup. "Let's toast to Lexa and Clarke, I wish them to have all the happiness in the world."

"Dad?"

"Yes, Clarke?"

The happiness she saw in his eyes made her falter. She had made him happy for the first time in years, and her mother seemed equally pleased. "Thank you."

"That's great, Clarke" Emily said in a mellow tone, "Did you know we're looking for a house? Unfortunately there aren’t many properties for sale in Palo Alto."

"I suppose." Clarke said with a forced smile.

"And you still live in that ... peculiar floor of Forty-Two Street? Emily asked.

"No, I live a couple of blocks away." Clarke said with hesitation, because her sister and Finn were to blame why she isn’t living there anymore.

"You should buy something; it makes no sense to pay rent."

"It's like throwing money down the toilet." Clarke smiled as she snapped at her sister's statement. "Yes, I know."

The rest of the evening continued in the same tone. Delicious desserts followed the exquisite dinner and Clarke managed to be fine with Emily and Finn, who returned the courtesy. Lexa continued to win over her parents. Everything was going according to plan.

As she left the restaurant with her parents in toe, Clarke could hardly believe how easy everything had been. "I'm delighted to have seen you." Clarke said after giving her mother a kiss.

"I had a really good time too, sweetheart. I really like your girlfriend," Abby whispered.

"Thanks Mom." Clarke then hugged her father. "Thanks for dinner, Dad, it was delicious."

"I'm glad you came." Jake released her and offered his hand to Lexa. "And I'm really glad I met you too Lexa."

Lexa shook his hand. "It has been a pleasure Jake."

"I wish we can get to know each other better," Jake said with a smile.

"Dad, it's getting late." Emily said." Come on, you and Mom have a long way home."

"No, don’t worry about us, we'll spend the night in the city" Jake answered. "Hey, Lexa, I just got an idea. Do you like golf?"

"Yes, but I am a beginner."

"I am also."

Clarke laughed. Her father was far from being a beginner.

"Why don’t you and Clarke come over for the weekend in Carmel? You and I could play golf, and Clarke and Abby can make wedding plans."

"Well ..." Lexa ran a hand over her hair. "What do you say, honey?"

"Well, I ..."

"Yes, don’t say anything more," Jake declared before Clarke could reject the invitation. Then he put something in Lexa's hand.

"Dad..." Clarke tried again.

Jake kissed his daughter's cheek. "Until Friday, girls."

After he said that, Clarke's parents walked. Emily and Finn followed. Clarke stared at the floor, unable to believe what just happened.

"Everything was going so well ... I don’t know why I haven’t seen it coming. I wanted them to like you, but not so much." She looked at Lexa, and she frowned. "How are we going to get out of this?"

Looking puzzled, Lexa stared at what she had in her hand. "I don’t know."

"What did my father give you? Lexa." She handed Clarke a twenty-dollar bill.

"You won't believe what's the money for…" Lexa said.


	2. Celebration

Clarke stared at the money Lexa had in her hand. "I can't believe my father gave you money for gasoline."

Neither did Lexa and then, she say with an expression of disbelief. "I am thirty years old and nobody has ever given me money for gasoline, not even my father."

"Well, it doesn’t matter. My father has done that all his life; I don’t even bother arguing with him anymore, it's useless."

"I don’t need your father's money," Lexa said with a frown, angry. "I may not be the owner of a company, but I have a good job."

"He didn’t do it for you, but for me," Clarke explained, realizing that Lexa felt truly offended. "He's taking care of his little girl."

"I'm sorry, but that doesn’t stop me from being offended," Lexa said. "I know how to take care of myself or of my fiancé. Even if she's a fake fiance..."

"I know that, and so does my father." Clarke regretted that she hadn’t picked up a jacket when she left the house; like always, the temperature in San Francisco had dropped at night. "Be glad that my father liked you."

Lexa took off her suit jacket and threw it over Clarke's shoulders. "Did he? Like me, I mean. He gave me this money…"

"Of course he did, in spite of my brother-in-law," Clarke laughed. "Have you noticed how Finn was looking at you? He must be terrified of the idea that you're going to be his competition for my father's attention. "

Lexa gritted her teeth. "Are you having fun Clarke?"

"Yes, of course I do. Come on, Lexa, calm down, it's only twenty dollars. My father hasn’t done it to offend you, so stop taking it as an insult. Consider it a payment for services rendered; pay the taxi with that money. I'll come up with an excuse for the weekend; it's my problem, not yours."

"I don’t agree with you." Lexa planted the twenty dollars in the palm of her hand." It's not the gas money that worries me, Clarke. And you're wrong, it's your problem, but so it's mine too."  
"Why?" Clarke frowned and looked at Lexa's eyes.

"Your father is Jake Griffin and, regardless of whether or not I work for his company, I have to take into account my career and my reputation. Jake is a very influential man in the world of capital investments, and although I doubt he would try to hurt me or take revenge on me, you are his daughter ... as you have said before."

How dare a perfect stranger to criticize her father? "My father would never destroy your career; he is a man of honor."

"A man of honor who adores his daughter, Clarke." Lexa said softly. "The truth is that, when I saw him, I was about to turn around and leave the restaurant in a hurry."

"Thank you for not doing that." Clarke bit her lower lip meanwhile trying not to lose an objective view of the situation.

"Don’t you get it, Clarke? I can't leave you like this, suddenly, as if you had been nothing more than a one-night stand, without offending your father. I am not yet a partner in the company where I work, and I am about to be promoted. If your father wanted to, he could be a major obstacle in my professional career."

"What do you suggest we do?" Clarke asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"We could stay engaged a little longer," Lexa said.

"You've gone mad?" She yelled, and some people that passed by paused to ask if something was wrong and if she needed help. She smiled and said that everything is okay.

"Until tonight, my answer would be negative but now…" Lexa said with a half-smile. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"What does that have to do with...?"

"Answer the question, Clarke."

"I'm not."

"Neither do I." Lexa said. "So, since we don’t have anyone else, I don’t see why we can't do that."

The situation was getting more complicated, Clarke thought and she had to acknowledge that it was her fault. However, that didn’t mean that she had to allow this to continue. No, she had to put an end to that situation. 

Lexa was still talking. "Once your parents have time to notice how different we are, they will understand that we broke up."

Although Clarke didn’t believe her father could hurt Lexa professionally, she understood her concern.

"How often do you see your parents?" Lexa asked her.

"I don’t see them much."

"In that case, they wouldn’t be able to know if we are together or not, all we have to do is spend this weekend with them and that's it. Well, what do you say, do you accept to be my girlfriend this weekend?"

Clarke had wanted someone for one night, and that was all. She liked the kind of life she had, without complications. But, she had to consider this… "Okay, but on one condition." 

"Okay, tell me."

"That we don’t end up married," she said, half joking half seriously. "What I want to say is that we don’t lose sight of it and that we have very clear things, okay? I've already had someone more interested in marrying my father than me."

"Don’t worry, there's no risk of that happening." Lexa laughed. "I don’t want to marry Jake."

Clarke heaved a sigh. "I didn’t mean it like that."

"I know." Lexa smiled. "I promise I won't cause you any trouble."

"Thank you."

"Besides, Clarke, can you imagine yourself and I married." Lexa smiled

*****  
After that night of adventures, Lexa dreamed of ice cream and Clarke. She woke up late, didn’t have time to take the bus in time and arrived at the office one hour later. Her boss, Titus, stumbled over her at the door. "Did you have a good time last night, Lexa?

"I..."

"Don’t worry, it's all right," Titus said with a predatory smile. "Come by my office."

What had she done? Lexa didn’t think Titus would invite to his the office because she had come to work an hour late. Something was happening, but what? As Lexa followed her boss to the office, she noticed his sympathetic smile. Titus was a fair man who demanded and rewarded well done job. He had a strong character and almost never called employees to his office, unless it was to reproach them something. Inside the office, Lexa looked around. On the wall was a picture of Titus's wife and another of his blue BMW. At fifty-seven, he had it all. And she also wanted everything. 

"Sit down…" Lexa sat down in a black leather armchair and Titus set aside magazines from the Wall Street Journal and sat on the edge of his desk. "Anything new you want to tell me?"

"Yes. I think that by Friday we will have closed the deal with Micro Psi."

"Excellent. Anything else?" Lexa shook her head and Titus continued talking. "This morning I had an interesting phone call. It was Jake Griffin."

"Damn it!"

"He wanted to talk about you," Titus said, pretending not to care.

"Damn it!" Lexa repeated.

"He asked some very interesting questions." Titus stared at her.

What is she is going to do now?

"Be honest with me, Lexa," Titus said earnestly. "What's going on?"

Last night I met a woman, I agreed to impersonate her girlfriend, and it turned out that her father was Jake Griffin. Titus wouldn’t understand that. In three years that she had been working for him, Lexa had learned one thing about her boss, that Titus never risked anything. Nothing. So, Lexa couldn’t say anything that even came close to the truth.

Titus took a deep breath. "I know it's natural that people want to make progress, but I thought you were happy here. You told me that you were ready to face more responsibilities and, therefore, to earn more money. I'm sorry I didn’t answer you earlier. What do you think if I raise your salary by twenty percent?"

Twenty percent. With that money she could pay a new roof at her parents' house and repay part of the loan with which she had paid for her studies. "Okay…"

"Jake is a great pro, but this group is excellent as well, and you are a key piece of the team," Titus said. "I mentioned a possible participation in the company when I hired you, are you still interested?"

Participation in the company, shares! Lexa was willing to sell her soul for company stocks. "Yes, I'm interested."

"Of course, I have to talk to the other partners first. It's a process, as you know."

"Yes of course. Titus, I'd like to ask you a question."

"Ask away."

"Are you offering me this because Jake Griffin called you or because I deserve it?"

"That's an excellent question…" Titus smiled mischievously. "What do you think?"

During the three years she'd been working there, Lexa had made a lot of solid deals and the company benefited from that a lot. "Because I deserve it." Lexa said.

"Yes, you deserve it, Lexa," Titus said with conviction. "Let's say Griffin gave me the push I needed to move in the right direction."

"Thank you, Titus."

He sat up and smiled. "If you stay with me; I promise you won't regret it."

Lexa got up also; almost unable to believe how well her plan was developing. "Okay, I'll think about it."

Titus patted her on the back. "I know it's going to be hard for you to tell to Jake no."

"I'll manage." At that moment, Lexa believed her capable of facing anything, even flying. At last, her dreams were becoming reality.

"I have no doubt you will." Titus opened the door to his office. "Griffin may be interested in making deals with us, so be prepared for it... None of our partners has been able to get him."

"Well, you never know."

"I like your attitude." Titus's smile widened. "Have a good day, Lexa."

"Thank you." Lexa walked to her desk and sat down in her chair. A well-deserved salary increase and company shares within easy reach. Lexa was doing what she had set out to finish, but... Clarke. The lovely woman who wasn’t her type. Lexa preferred more classic women: designer clothes, discreet jewelry and impeccable make-up. Clarke Griffin had created her own style and there wasn’t anything classic about it. Lexa couldn’t help but smile. She was a perfect stranger and she had already made a deep impression on her. She'd also given her something else, a weekend with Jake Griffin. Lexa wanted to call her to thank her. So, she picked up the telephone handset, pulled out a card from her wallet, and dialed a number.

"Yes?" She answered hoarsely.

"Hi, it's Lexa."

"Lexa? Lexa who?"

"Lexa Woods, your fiancé."

"Oh, that Lexa. Sorry, I'm still in bed and not very awake."

In the bed? Lexa remembered the conversation they'd had in the cab last night, Clarke slept naked between cotton sheets. Her soft skin, her scent ... What was she thinking? "Forgive me for calling so early."

"Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter. Is something wrong?" She asked in a sweet, concerned voice.

"No, nothing happen to me. But ... Clarke?"

"I'm here…"

"Jake called my boss this morning."

"What for?" She seemed to be alarmed. "What did he want?"

"Nothing important. He's asked Titus, my boss, a few questions."

"What did he ask?"

"Titus didn’t tell me, but he raised my salary and told me about the possibility of becoming a shareholder in the company."

"I'm sure my father had nothing to do with it. I'm sure you're a good at your job and you deserve it."

Lexa was grateful for her justification. "It's true that I deserve it, but your father has reminded Titus that I have other options. So ... I want to thank you for it. Our supposed relationship has been very beneficial to me." And it could be more…. Who knew what could happen after spending a weekend with him playing golf?  
"You aren’t angry?"

Lexa grabbed a pen. "I am not."

"The gas money offended you ..." Clarke said.

"This is different. Maybe I should be angry, but I'm not, I'm very happy."

"You deserve to be happy, Lexa," she said. "You have to go out there and celebrate."

Celebrate it? If she went out partying with her friends, she would be hung over next morning. And what friends? Most of them were already married with children. But she deserved to celebrate. Maybe Clarke wanted to go with her. "Do you want to celebrate with me?" Lexa asked.

"When?"

"Tonight." After Lexa said that, there was only silence on the other side of the line. What was the reason for this silence? Lexa fiddled with the pen in her hand. "Do you have plans for tonight?"

"I don't." Clarke replied.

If she doesn't insist, Clarke would say no. "Clarke, we're going to spend this entire weekend together pretending we're engaged. We should know each other a little better to avoid making mistakes. I want the weekend to go well, don’t you?" Lexa smiled to herself, her reasoning had been impeccable. She'd almost convinced herself that she was not imagining Clarke naked in the sheets.

"Yes," she answered at last. "I am free from eight o'clock."

"Where do you live?" Lexa asked, suppressing the urge to ask her what she would do until eight o'clock.

"Noe Valley."

"Do you want me to go there?"

"Since it is you who will make the sacrifice of spending a weekend at my parents' house, don’t you want me to go to your area?"

Lexa ignored the disappointment she felt, because she wanted to see where Clarke lived, she also wanted to know more about her. "All right, at nine o'clock in the cafe on the corner between Chestnut and Avila streets."

"Do you live at the Marina?"

"Yes."

"I should have guessed."

"What do you mean, Clarke?"

"Nothing…" She answered." Well, then until tonight"

"Until tonight." As she hung up the phone, Lexa became frightened when she realized how much she wanted to see Clarke again.

*****

Clarke got off the bus at the corner stop on Fillmore and Chestnut Streets. She made her way among couples and groups of people who walked down the street from one to another restaurants, bars and shops on Chestnut Street. The Marina District. She didn’t want to remember her old life, the life that was acceptable to her family and that had almost caused her an ulcer. It had been a long time since she had been there. Clarke stopped at the corner where the coffee shop was. Two women with skates were sitting at the table on the terrace. The establishment was crowded.

What was she doing there? She had spent the whole day thinking about Lexa. As she placed books on the shelves of her bookstore, she had fantasized about a tropical island and an ocean of crystalline blue waters; Of course, Lexa had been the star of that fantasy. She didn’t understand. Lexa looked like a woman with her feet on the ground, just as she had believed Finn to be. Thinking about Lexa that way made no sense. Lexa was pretending to be her girlfriend, did that make her dishonest? It did not matter. Lexa was just what she wasn’t anymore: ambitious, cautious and rigid. In spite of that, she was intrigued, and rarely encountered someone who intrigued her like Lexa did. She didn’t want that to happen, it wasn’t worth it. However, Lexa had something ... Whatever it was; she wanted to know more about her supposed girlfriend, which worried her.  
Clarke looked at her watch, nine-fifteen. She was a little late. She straightened her shoulders and went into the cafe. The music was loud and the inside was also crowded. At bottom, sitting at a table, she spotted Lexa reading the Wall Street Journal. "Hi," she said. "Sorry for the delay."

Lexa folded the paper and got up. "You're in the habit of being late to the places, right?"

Clarke felt a tickle in her stomach as she smiled at her. "Yes. And I bet you always arrive on time."

"Yes, usually."

She wasn’t surprising that Lexa was punctual. She looked like the kind of woman who planned it all to the smallest detail. Lucky they weren’t in a relationship, Clarke couldn’t bear living with such person. Clarke kissed Lexa's cheek and she raised her eyebrows. "It's because we need to rehearse."

"Of course." Lexa agreed.

Clarke pulled a green lollipop from her purse and handed it to her. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Lexa laughed at the candy. "You didn’t have to bother buying a present for me."

"No, but I wanted to do it."

Lexa pulled a chair for Clarke to seat. "Come on, sit down."

Clarke put her jacket on the back of the chair and sat down. "What do you want to drink?"

"It's my invitation, Clarke."

"Okay, since you're on the way to becoming rich, I'll let you order. Milkshake for me, please."

"In that case, I'll be right back."

Clarke waited for Lexa to come back from ordering drinks. She couldn’t help noticing the glances that some women and man had cast at Lexa, something that was perfectly understandable. With that pair of kakis pants and polo shirt she was very beautiful. Thank God, she wasn’t wearing a suit or a tie.

Lexa returned with two shakes and left them on the table. "Here you have."

"Thank you." Clarke raised her glass. "For your success."

Lexa clinked her glass with Clarke's. "An extraordinary way to end an extraordinary day."

As Clarke looked at Lexa's long lashes, she returned, to her fantasy, to the tropical island. She licked her lips. All right, stop drooling! She told herself. Life can't be complicated, and Lexa Woods was a huge complication. Clarke drank her shake.

"I've been thinking about the weekend," Lexa put her glass down on the table. "I need it to work out; especially after the conversation I had with Titus today."

"Of course, we can't let your future to go awry."

"Above all, considering that me becoming a shareholder partner is not safe yet," Lexa said. "Clarke, we're going to have to behave like we're a real couple. But don’t worry; it will only be for forty-eight hours."

Forty-eight hours didn’t seem too much. "All right, I can handle that." Clarke said.

"Does it bother you for me to call you "sweetie" or "sweetheart"?

"I can handle that too, and you, dear? 

Lexa straightened in the seat. "No, I don't mind it..."

Clarke laughed. "I hope you can bear the kisses, the hugs, the caresses"

Clarke smiled. "I got an idea." Lexa drank another sip of smoothie. "Where do you want to start?"

"You mean the kisses and the caresses?" Lexa smiled now.

"No, to know more about each other."

"Okay. I'll ask you a question and then you make me one. Ok?"

"It seems fair," Clarke said. "As we are celebrating your success, you can start."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty eight. How old are you?"

"Thirty."

"Your turn again" Clarke reminded Lexa when she didn’t ask anything.

Lexa opened her mouth, but closed it again.

"Come on, your turn, I won't be offended whatever you ask." Clarke smiled.

Lexa was decided to ask but she had to make sure. "I hope it doesn’t seem like an indiscretion to you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Are you in love with Finn?"

She didn’t hesitate and immediately said, "No!" It had been an easy question.

"No, that's all?"

"You've already asked your question, now it's my turn."

"Please let me continue," Lexa pleaded.

Clarke saw curiosity and a hint of a pity in her eyes. What harm could she do to her? They were supposed to be in a relationship. So she nodded her head...

"If you're not in love with him, why did you ask me to pretend to be your girlfriend?"

Unrequited love. That was what Lexa believed. Politically correct and romantic, it wasn’t a bad combination. "The need for a girlfriend wasn’t for Finn."

Lexa's eyes narrowed. "Then why?"

"Don’t give it importance, it doesn’t have it. Don’t you like the smell of fresh coffee?" Clarke asked, changing the subject.

Lexa didn’t take the bait. "Was it for your sister?"

"For my parents. It's a very long story."

"I'm not in any hurry." Lexa took a sip of smoothie.

"Finn and I broke up a little over a year ago," she explained, hoping Lexa wouldn’t ask why. Emily and Finn had betrayed her, but nobody knew that except of her family. "After canceling the wedding, I didn’t want a relationship."

"Have you not dated anyone since?"

"I didn’t…"

Lexa made a gesture for her to continue.

"About six months ago, my parents invited me to dinner. Since I wasn’t seeing anyone, I invited a friend of mine to accompany me. The problem is that my friends are ... unconventional."

"Tattoos, long hair and so on?" Lexa asked.

Clarke nodded. "Echo is a charming person; she would rip off the skin where her tattoo is for a friend. 

Lexa laughed. "And your parents didn’t like Echo?"

"Right. A couple of weeks after the terrible dinner, I happened to meet my parents in Union Square, and it turns out that I was going to dinner with a friend whose life is her motorcycle." Clarke laughed at the memory of her mother's face. "My mother couldn’t stand Octavia's spiked collar or leather suit."

"So your parents are worried about the kind of people you date, right?"

"Exactly," although she didn’t go out with them, they are just friends. "But after that and all of a sudden, I began to receive invitations and more invitations from children and grandchildren of friends of my parents. To make matters worse, my mother suggested that I go to the psychoanalyst or get myself into a group therapy. My father does nothing more than insist to make me join his club in order to meet people of my "proper" age. It made me crazy."

"You're lucky they worry so much about you."

"I know it and I appreciate it, but I can't stand it anymore. The thing about me getting a person to date seemed to me the perfect solution. They will stop worrying about me, leave me alone and I can continue to live my life in peace."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, here you have one more chapter. But, what do you think that I should do? My others stories, I updated every day... Should I update this one too every day? Let me know in the comments. 
> 
> I hope you like it.


	3. The two beds

Clarke was driving her crazy.

After spending two and a half hours in the confines of her car, Lexa was at the limit. She gripped the steering wheel. She liked talking to her; but every time Clarke turned her head, a burst of her perfume enveloped Lexa. It smelled like field in the summer, and also at the same time, like lemon. Clarke was a glass of lemonade on a hot summer day. Lexa wanted to savor it; she wanted to quench her thirst. For the last three days she had thought of her in the most inopportune moments at work. She was a real danger. Lexa discovered that she even liked her clothes, and that was very surprising to Lexa. That day she wore a huge yellow sweater, a flying skirt that remained an inch wide and ankle boots. It was all covered except for her head, but she looked sexier than any other woman in a bikini. Lexa tried everything to think on something else. She had asked her questions about her parent's house, and she asked Clarke to tell her something more about her family, but nothing helped. 

"Turn to the right," Clarke said as they drive along the road with trees on both sides. Then, they were in front of the gate that opened automatically. In the distance, a two-story house stood out against the horizon like white stucco, with arches, terrace and balconies. Jake Griffin had amassed a great fortune; he had great success in the business. But Lexa hadn’t expected such a property.

"Someday I'll live in such a place. The first step is to become a partner in the company. "As Lexa turned the ignition off, Jake came out to greet them." This better be good," Lexa thought.

Clarke got out of the car and hugged her father. "Hi, Dad."

"Hi, sweetie." Jake stared at Lexa's car. "Good vehicle, and very convenient."

Lexa cleared her throat. She had tried to rent a better vehicle, but she couldn't find what she wanted. Luckily, she had washed the car before setting off on the road. "It takes me where I want."

"Do you have rear-wheel drive?"

"Yes."

"It's good for snow." Jake smiled. "We have a cabin in Tahoe. Do you like skiing?"

"A cabin?" Lexa was sure that it must look more like a hotel than a cabin. "I love to ski."

"How was the trip?" Jake asked.

"Good, we didn’t have problems." 

"Have you turned Highway number one?"

"Yes." Lexa replied.

"It's a beautiful road." Jake smiled as Lexa nodded. "How was the traffic?"

"There was some traffic jam in Half Moon Bay." Lexa pulled the golf equipment out of the back of the car. Surprisingly, Clarke's flowery bag was smaller than her own.

Jake took from Lexa Clarke's bag. "Abby is preparing something to eat. I hope you're hungry."

"I am starving." Clarke took her father's hand. "We didn’t want to arrive too late, so we haven’t stopped to eat anything."

"Clarke, it's not good to stay without dinner," Jake said, like every parent. "Lexa, don’t let her skip any meal. When she doesn’t eat she gets very cranky."

"Dad…" Clarke made a face, "I never get cranky. Emily is the one who gets cranky if she doesn’t eat, I don’t."

Jake frowned. "Yes, that's true, honey, you're right, it's your sister. Lexa, forget what I said."

When Clarke entered the house, Jake put a hand on Lexa's shoulder, holding her back. "Clarke gets extra cranky too," he whispered. "Make her eat."

Lexa laughed. "I will do it." She entered the house and thought she had entered a mansion that was on a cover of a magazine. The lobby floor was terracotta tiled. Original paintings decorated the walls.

"We're going to leave the bags at the entrance, later we'll bring them up to the rooms," Jake says, Lexa nodes her head and drops her bag beside the door. "Let's go to the living room."

Clarke grabbed Lexa by the hand and led her into the large, elegantly furnished living room. Lexa had two sisters and a brother and they had all grown up in a four-bedroom cottage. The sculpture in the corner cost more than all the furniture of her parents' house. The painting above the chimney was worth as much as the mortgage on the whole farm.  
Clarke stood in front of a beautiful vase. She grabbed a lily and placed it behind her ear. "Sit down, Lexa."

Lexa was afraid of messing up the white couch, but Clarke pulled her to sit. As she and Jake talked, Lexa examined the room. She wasn’t too interested in decoration, but she knew how to recognize the good that Abby and Jake have. That house was overwhelming.

Clarke nudged Lexa with her elbow. "Honey, would you like something to drink?"  
"Yes..."

"What do you want, honey? A beer?" Clarke asked her.

When Lexa nodded, Jake said, "I want another one too."

"Dad, you always drink..."

"I want a beer," Jake declared authoritatively, cutting off any discussion.

Clarke then gave Lexa a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be right back, sweetheart."

"Ask your mother if she wants you to help her." When Clarke left the living room, Jake said to Lexa, "You have no idea how interesting your life is going to be with her."

But Lexa already knew that and she just smiled.

"Abby has spoiled them both very much."

Lexa knew very little about Clarke's life, but she didn’t seem spoiled. She lived in an old Victorian house in where the steps creaked and the fence needed a coat of paint. Her wardrobe consisted of plain clothes, no design ones.

"But I suppose I've spoiled them too," Jake added. "It's hard not to do it when you have all this." Looking around, Jake's eyes rested on a portrait of his two daughters. The two wore pearl necklaces and were dressed nearly the same way. Clarke looked very normal.

"When is this photo taken?" Lexa asked.

"When they graduated from university."

"Clarke is very..."

"Different," Jake says and looks at Lexa.

"Yes, different..."

"Clarke is very stubborn, like me. Once we make a decision, there is no way that we can change our mind. And she is capable of anything to prove that she has a point."

"Yes, she is very decisive," Lexa says and smiles. "It's something I admire a lot in her."

"But don’t ever forget that she always believes that she is the one who is right, doesn’t like to give in. Don’t let her get away with that always Lexa. She'll be insufferable then." Jake laughed.

Lexa didn’t know what Jake was trying to tell her; But since she wasn’t going to marry Clarke, it want worth trying to clarify. "Clarke and I are okay."

"I'm so glad to hear you say that." Jake smiled again. "Well, tell me, how Titus is treating you. Has he offered you a piece of the company?"

*****

Her mother was preparing dinner and her father wanted a beer? Who were these strangers? Aliens? Where were her real parents? Clarke went to the kitchen and saw her mother standing in front of the counter, cutting some vegetables. A tray of buns was on the stove. She blinked to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. "Do you want me to help you with something, Mom?"

Abby turned her head and smiled. Usually she was the definition of elegance, and now she wears a pink apron over black trousers and a white lace shirt. "I haven’t heard you arrive and I had told your father to warn me when you and Lexa are here... I guess that was pointless…"

"Dad has asked me to come here for a few beers. I think he wants to talk to Lexa alone."

"Yes, for sure" Abby turned her eyes to the stove. "He's been talking about Lexa all week."

Clarke swallowed a lump in her throat. Convincing her parents that Lexa wasn’t the right girl for her was going to be difficult, despite being self-evident. Lexa and she came from different worlds, had different goals in life. So, she needs to find a way to convince her parents that they don’t belong together after this weekend is over. "Do you want me to help you with something?"

"Why don’t you take the beers to them? I have some pitchers in the freezer."

Beer pitchers in the freezer? Clarke stared at the pots in the sink. That kitchen was the dream of any cook, a gift to her mother from her father after their cook retired a year ago; but her mother had never shown interest in cooking. When they had guests, their parents contracted the caterers to take care of everything. So, this situation is very strange. But, she obeyed her mother and pulled two pitchers of beer from the freezer and set them on the counter. As she opened the refrigerator door, she saw three different brands of beer. "Does Dad like any of these particular brands?"

"It doesn’t matter, but serve them the same brand. I'm sure Dad wants to know Lexa's opinion on beer."

Clarke opened the bottles. "I thought he only liked whiskey."

"Your father always liked beer." Abby laughed. He even has a database of all the brands of beer he had in his life. There is one that he even invested money in the company."  
When Clarke began to fill a pitcher, her mother stopped her. "Tilt the pitcher, your father can't stand that it has a lot of foam." Clarke followed her mother's advice.

"What are you preparing for dinner?"

"It's nothing special, something very light," Abby wiped her hands on the apron. "Stuffed mushrooms, sautéed vegetables and rolls."

"I thought you didn’t cook anymore."

"Yes, I stopped cooking long ago, but I've started to miss it. A year ago, when your father gave me this wonderful kitchen, I went back to cooking. Besides, it's the least I can do to thank him for the gift."

"Dad must be very happy."

Abby nodded. "Yeah, but he's getting fat." Clarke smiled to her mother and continued pouring the bear. Abby sighed then. "Clarke, I have to tell you something." Her mother became very serious suddenly, and Clarke's eyes narrowed.

"What's up?"

"Your father and I have been talking about how are you and Lexa going to sleep this weekend."

"That it's not a problem mom." Clarke smiled. "Don’t worry about that, Lexa will sleep in the guest room and I will sleep in mine."

"That's what your father said, but I don’t want to make Lexa uncomfortable."

"Mom, Lexa will be okay… This is your house and, while we are here, we have to adapt to your rules and your standards."

"Honey, I like you when you talk like that." Abby smiled. "You don’t know how glad I am that you've found someone like Lexa. I don’t want to do anything that can..."

"Ruin it all, right?"

Abby smiled sadly. "You right to make your own decisions and to make your own life."

Now that she had found an acceptable girlfriend, her parents seemed willing not to interfere. Clarke didn’t understand. She ran her own bookstore, she made her living, and she took care of herself but they still couldn’t respect her. But all of a sudden, she was an adult because she had brought a good girl with a job that they liked to her parents' home. No, she didn’t understand them at all.

"I don’t want your father and me to cause tensions between you two," her mother finally said. The first weekend that your father spent with my parents, I was so nervous. Lexa needs you around."

Usually her mother was more direct. "What do you mean, Mom?"

"That you can both sleep in the same room."

Clarke nearly dropped the beer bottle. "But..."

Abby arched a brow "I thought you'd be glad."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing…" I don’t want to share my room with a stranger, Clarke thought. She had to find a way out of that mess. "And dad? I don’t want you to argue because of us."

"Don’t worry, I'll take care of your father," Abby said with confidence. "It is time for him to realize that you are no longer ten years old."

"Mom, please. Seriously, Lexa and I don’t care. We talked about it on the way and we don’t want to make you uncomfortable, nor Daddy."

"No more talk, everything is arranged."

Clarke no longer knew what they argued. What would Lexa say? "Thanks Mom…"

Abby grabbed one of the trays. "Well, let's have dinner outside."

Clarke grabbed the two pitchers of beer. "Mom, thank you for being so understanding."

"Clarke, baby, I too have been young once."

"You're still young, Mom."

*****

At midnight, Jake announced that it was bedtime. When Clarke grabbed her bag in the hall, she still could not believe how good everything had been for the past three hours. There wasn’t a crumb left of the delicious food her mother had prepared, including the muffins. Lexa seemed very relaxed with her parents; she was almost one of the family. Having her arm on Clarke's shoulder, it seemed the most natural thing in the world; she had almost came to believe that they were indeed engaged. And the smiles of happiness that her parents had all night indicated that they believed them too. 

Abby guided them upstairs, and Clarke followed. When her mother opened the bedroom door, Clarke felt a knot in her stomach. She have to share the room and the bed with Lexa and that made her feel very weird.

Turning on the light, Abby yelled. "Jake!" He ran up the stairs and gently moved Clarke away to enter the room first.

"What is wrong my dear?"

"What have you done?" Abby didn’t look very happy.

"Nothing, honey."

"I can't believe it; you're going to ruin everything."

Clarke couldn’t help but notice her mother's indignation. Curious to know what was happening, she entered the bedroom. That's when she saw the two beds. "Thank you, Dad," she whispered, holding back the laughter. Her mother could have won the battle, but her father won the war.

"Where is Clarke's bed?" Abby asked.

"Honey, Clarke's mattress was very old and lumpy. She needed a new mattress, so I bought it."

"You've bought two new mattresses."

"They were on sale," Jake said. "Two for the price of one."

Abby stared at the bedspreads in white and purple stripes. "Where did you get the quilts?"

"From the same store, they were also on sale."

"Well, at least they're the same." Abby shrugged. "Clarke, I hope you don’t mind."

No, it didn’t bother her at all. She had such a good luck. "This is okay, isn’t it, Lexa?"

Lexa entered the room and set her bag on one of the beds. "Yes."

"Well, kids, good night," Jake said. "These walls are very thin so if we make too much noise and don’t let you sleep, please come and tell us." The comment earned him a nudge from Abby. Leaving the bedroom, Jake left the door opened a little.

Clarke smiled, trying to hide her happiness. "My father isn’t very subtle."

"At least, one knows who he's playing with," Lexa gave her a mischievous smile. "If I touch you, he'll chase me with a shotgun.

Clarke laughed. "In that case, it's better if you don’t do it."

"So we're going to sleep in the same room?" Lexa didn’t seem too happy.

"Yes, thanks to my mother. At least, my father had the good sense to buy two beds. It's great, right?"

"What was here before, instead of the two beds?"

"A huge canopy bed. You don’t know how happy I was when I saw the two beds."

"It's a real relief," Lexa said. "I wish I could thank your father."

Clarke was annoyed that she looked so happy. Was the idea of sleeping with her so horrible? Although, of course, she didn’t want to sleep with Lexa either. 

"I still can't believe they let us sleep in the same room."

"As I just told you, it was my mother's idea. But my father has refused to allow us to sleep in the same bed."

"I'm not sure he'd even let us after being married."

"You may be right," Clarke smiled, wondering what it would be like to sleep with Lexa.

"Thank god, we'll never find out."

"No, we won't…" Clarke ignored a sudden pang of disappointment. But it was for the best. She wasn’t interested in girls like Lexa Woods. Once the fake relationship is over, she would never see Lexa again.

"Do you want to go in the bathroom first?"

"No, you do it." Lexa opened her bag and threw a shirt at Clarke. "Take it…"

Clarke stared at the white shirt in her hand. "Why do I need this?"

"Do you have pajamas?"

"I don’t…" Clarke said.

"Then put on that shirt."

"Are you always so authoritarian?"

"Only when my sanity depends on it." 

Lexa's comment surprised her. Clarke didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not. Lexa was very stiff, not spontaneous. Maybe ... "Were you girl scout as a kid, Lexa?

Lexa nodded her head and as Clarke entered the bathroom, she looked over at Lexa over her shoulder and smiled. "Does that mean that you are always prepared?" 

The door closed after Clarke and Lexa stared at the door. She smiled. That girl will drive her crazy.

 

The bathroom door opened a little later and Clarke came out with her clothes on her arm and Lexa's shirt on. The bottom of the shirt lowered to the mid-thigh, her breasts were visible under the thin fabric. Lexa held her breath.

"The bathroom is all yours," Clarke said. Lexa felt a tug in her lower abdomen. "Towels are in the cabinet."

Lexa made an effort to look away from those well-formed legs. "Thank you."

After picking up her toilet bag and some underwear, Lexa entered the bathroom and closed the door loudly. How could she sleep with Clarke only a few inches away from her? She gritted her teeth. She hadn’t been with anybody for a long time. Maybe Clarke wasn’t her type, but she was very attractive and very different from the women she was used to. Lexa splashed cold water on her face. At least she understood the reason for her physical reaction to Clarke. She need to drown that desire. Besides, she hadn’t gone there to satisfy her sexual needs, but for her career. She had been presented with a golden opportunity, spending a weekend with Jake Griffin, and she didn't want that her crazy hormones interfere. When Lexa returned to the bedroom, Clarke was sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back to her. She still had the flower on her ear.  
Clarke turned her head, but said nothing and Lexa guessed she was meditating. "I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"You didn’t, I'm done," she said, rising from the floor.

"Do you meditate every night?"

"Not all of them, but it helps me relax." Clarke got into the bed. "Have you ever done yoga?"

Lexa didn’t answer.

"It helps a lot; especially after hours of working in an office."

"Yoga isn’t really my thing."

Clarke stared at her. "No… It's not."

The certainty in her voice bothered Lexa, and so did her smile. Although, of course, she didn’t care what Clarke thought about her.

"The light switch is on your right."

Turning the light off, Lexa saw a white lace bra above Clarke's yellow sweater. She blinked and turned off the light. It was going to be a very long night. Lexa got into bed. "Good night, Clarke."

"Good night, Lexa."

Unable to sleep, Lexa stared at the ceiling. She thought she saw stars. When she found a constellation, she realized that it was really stars. "Clarke..."

"Yes?"

"There are stars on the celling."

"Yeah..."

"Why?"

"I've always loved to observe the stars."

"Me too. That was one of the advantages of living on the farm; without the lights of the city, you can see the stars." Lexa looked for another constellation and found Andromeda. "You still haven’t told me why you have stars on the ceiling."

"When I was little, I used to sit in the garden with a telescope and I looked for constellations. One winter, it was so cold that my mother was afraid I would get pneumonia. My father then put stats on the ceiling of my room to search for constellations in my room

"And he did a good job."

"He hired two astronomers…"

Lexa couldn’t imagine what it must be to have Jake and Abby as parents. 

Clarke sighed then and asked Lexa. "Why did you leave the farm? It must be a paradise."

"I got tired of living there. My parents were always low with the money, worried all the time about that and I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to do something."

"And the advantages of living on a farm? No traffic, only open spaces," Clarke asked.

True, but Lexa didn’t want to live depending on whether or not she would have a good crop that year. The only way she could help her parents and gain what she wanted was by leaving the farm. Maybe that was a sacrifice, but a sacrifice that was worth doing it. Clarke has grown up being rich, she couldn’t understand her or her family, and she couldn’t understand what it was to fight to survive every day. "It has its advantages and disadvantages. Droughts and floods. It is not an easy life."

"I always thought it must be fun to live on a farm," Clarke says in the darkness of the room.

"It's a very hard life, a lot of work."

A star fell from the sky. "Did you see that, Lexa?"

"What?"

"A star has fallen," she said with enthusiasm. "Make a wish."

A wish to a plastic star? Clarke must have been the kind of person who threw coins into the fountains and hoped that her wish comes true. "It's not a real star, Clarke."

"And what? Come on, it's not going to hurt you. Have a little more imagination…" She paused. "Have you already asked for a wish?"

"I had asked for a BMW. And you, Clarke, what have you asked for?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true," she answered. "I've always believed that someone personality could be seen from what they wish for… I'm glad you asked for a wish, I was beginning to think that you have no imagination. Well, good night, Lexa." Clarke turned around in her bed.

"Goodnight." What did wishes indicate about a person? Lexa had made a wish, and she could hardly believe what she had asked for. She could have asked for company stock, but she didn’t.

Lexa wished for Clarke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated today again because I'm overwhelmed with your response. Thank you! I'll try and update every day but if I can't, don't get mad. Love you all and please continue with the comments. It's very helpful when you help me with the story and also gives me inspiration.


	4. The dream

Clarke felt the morning sun on her face. She also felt a strong smell of coffee. It must be time to get up. She stretched, and slowly opened her eyes. Incredible as it seemed, she felt rested. With Lexa a few inches away and covered only in black lace boxers, she couldn’t believe she had fallen asleep. She dreamed that she was making love to a girl with a muscular, slender body and wavy brown hair. It was just a sensual dream, but it was a dream that worried her. She didn’t want to dream about this girl, she didn’t want to dream of any women or men. It meant nothing; it had been only a dream. They had spent one night there, and only had one left. Then she would say goodbye to this crazy weekend with her girlfriend. Clarke smiled. She turned her head, but Lexa wasn’t there. The bed next to hers was empty. Lexa and her parents. Alone and probably talking about her. Panicked, she sat up in bed. One false step and her parents would realize that this relationship was false. The deception would be discovered. She, of course, could face the consequences; But ... what about Lexa?

She jumped out of bed, pulled on some shorts, and ran out of the room.When she got downstairs, she heard voices in the kitchen. Her heart was pounding. Her father, her mother and Lexa. What a nightmare! Why hadn’t she set the alarm? She took a deep breath to calm herself. As she entered the kitchen, she saw Lexa and her father sitting on two stools in front of the counter. Lexa's green polo shirt intensified the color of her eyes. The power of Lexa's gaze left her breathless. Lexa's smiling expression told her what she wanted to know: there was no reason to worry. Everything was going well,

"Good morning, Clarke." Abby put down the pan of the pancakes and wiped her hands on the yellow apron. "Wow, how early did you get up."

Clarke looked at the microwave clock. "What time is it?"

"Seven-thirty," Jake replied. "What's wrong, you couldn't sleep?"

Clarke ran her fingers through her scrambled hair. "It makes no sense to spend the day in bed, Dad."

Jake laughed. "Lexa, you must be a good influence for her. When Clarke was a teenager, she never got up before noon."

"Now, she never gets up before nine o'clock," Lexa said with another smile that showed her perfect white teeth. Lexa grabbed her coffee and drank.

How did she know the time she got up? Clarke frowned. Why was it so hard to stop looking at her? For her hair, of course. Lexa's hair curled in a way that screamed at her to caress Lexa's hair.

"Have you slept well, precious?" Lexa asked.

Clarke hesitated, Lexa called her precious. No, she hadn’t meant it. "Yes, very well, I haven’t even heard you get up."

"You didn’t?"

Clarke ignored the mischievous smile. "I didn’t…" She was too busy dreaming about her. And what a dream! She blushed at the thought. Lexa was so gorgeous.

"You haven’t even given me the good morning kiss."

"I haven’t given you good morning kiss?" Clarke repeated her mind blank. She remembered the dream in which she was making love to a brown-haired woman, a girl almost identical to Lexa.  
Lexa nodded and set the mug on the counter. 

Clarke blushed. She saw that her parents shared the look of happiness. They both grinned from ear to ear. Her parents were absolutely convinced that they were a couple. I should be happy about it, what's my problem?

Lexa approached Clarke, and her pulse quickened. "Its pure show, it's not really true," she repeated to herself in silence.

Lexa then stared into her eyes. She caressed her cheek and made her tremble with pleasure. Then she winked and kissed her with a warm, soft kiss. She tasted like coffee. The kiss ended too soon. And Clarke was left wanting more. "Good morning, my love," Lexa said, smiling.

She does not mean it, it means nothing. Clarke thought that as she was looking in Lexa's eyes. The kiss had been pure theater for her parents, but it didn’t stop Clarke from feeling feverish. It must have been the warmth of Lexa's body. She then passed her and sat down on the stool next to Lexa's.

Abby left a plate of fresh pancakes in front of Clarke.

"Do you want some strawberries with cream?" Lexa asked.

"No, thank you, Lexa. What I would like is a little syrup."

"More coffee, Clarke?" Jake asked.

She remembered again that Lexa's lips had the taste of coffee and she was sure that she wanted more of that. But, that's not possible so she just smiled at her dad and said. "Yes, thank you, Dad." Jake filled her cup and then added some milk and a half tablespoon of sugar, as she liked. "Thank you, Dad," Clarke repeated. You didn’t kiss anyone in a year, so that's your punishment. Clarke thought. You did not even like her kiss, so forget it. Clarke put the cup down on the stool. Taking a bite of one of her pancakes, she noticed that her father wore his golf clothes: purple shirt, sweater and green pants. "What time are you going to play, dad?"

"At nine." Jake leaned back in the seat. "Lexa and I are going to have lunch at the club after we finish playing."

Her father and Lexa. Alone. No way. She couldn’t let them go without her. What if Lexa says something wrong and he discovers the truth? Lexa's career would fall apart. In addition, Jake needed to see them together to realize that their marriage would never work. "Can I go too?" She threw the most charming smile at her father.

"Don’t you remember what happened to you the last time I took you to the golf course?" Jake laughed. Lexa, no matter what, don’t ever challenge her to play golf. You will lose too many balls."

"Those balls are too small and I don’t understand why there are so many ponds and so many traps between the holes," Clarke said and pouted. "I don’t want to go to play, but you could let me drive the golf car"

"No!" Her father panicked and then he smiled.

Clarke slapped the counter. "I drive well." Clarke looked at Lexa, waiting for help from her. But Lexa just shrugged. What kind of girlfriend was she? She was pissing her off. She needs to have a talk to her seriously. "I'll bring you the sticks, Dad. Also, I'll write the numbers, I could sum up the points."

"Honey, I know you want to be with Lexa, but your mother has other plans," Jake said softly." You don’t want to disappoint her, do you?"

As she looked at her mother, she felt a guilty. She didn’t want to hurt her mother's feelings, but how much would it cost her to make her mother happy? Clarke had already invented a girlfriend to avoid the matchmaking of her parents. She had brought that fake girlfriend home. What was the next step, a fake wedding? "No, I'll go with Mom. We will have a good time."

"Of course, sweetheart," Abby says, her brown eyes sparkled. "Remember the last time."

Yes, Clarke remembered the day they had spent in a damn beauty parlor; she had spent hours trying to convince a hairdresser named Jean Paul that she didn’t need another hairstyle. "What are we going to do?"

Abby's eyes widened and she smiled. "It's a surprise, but I assure you that we are going to have a great time. You're going to love it."

Clarke grunted. She couldn’t bear it. Her mother and Emily had a very different idea of what it was to have fun. But she had no choice.

*****

Lexa entered the bedroom and stopped abruptly. She thought that would have time to shower and get dressed while she ate her pancakes. She had been wrong. Clarke was in the middle of the room trying to zip up a white dress. "Sorry, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"You don’t have to leave," she said turning her back to Lexa again. "I want to talk to you."

"You need help with the zipper."

"Help? Now you want to help me." Clarke sighed. "I needed your help down there in the kitchen."

"What are you talking about…?"

"I wanted you to convince my father to let me go with you. But you did nothing, like it had nothing with you."

"And what did you want me to say? Let Clarke take the golf cart?" Lexa put her hands on her narrow waist. "Let me zip you up, you're going to break it."

Clarke lifted the braid; Lexa looked at a golden red rope. As she zipped her up, she brushed her back with her hand and she tensed. There was chemistry between them, Clarke felt it too. "It's done. Well, I'm going to go now."

"Thank you, but I still want to talk to you." Clarke stood in jars. "You couldn’t have said that I wanted to go golfing?"

"Yes, but…" Lexa hesitated; she didn’t think Clarke would like an honest answer.

"But..." Clarke insisted.

"I don’t want you to come."

"What?" Clarke couldn’t believe what Lexa was saying.

"Hey, lower your voice," Lexa said worried that Jake and Abby could hear them.

"Why don’t you want me to go?"

"Clarke, everything is going very well."

"Nothing is going well. Have you noticed my parents?"

Lexa nodded. "Yes. They smile so much that I thought we were filming an ad for toothpaste. We look like the perfect couple."

"Exactly. Don’t you realize the problem?"

Lexa didn’t answer right away. "We have decided to behave like a couple so that you can take your parents off your back and stop them from meddling in your love life, and get me the shares of the company."

"Yes, we were supposed to be a couple, but not soul mates destined to spend eternity together."

"You're exaggerating. Abby and Jake don’t believe that we are destined to spend our lives together."

"Believe it, Lexa." Clarke gave an impatient thump on the floor. "As long as we don’t stop behaving like a happy couple, I'm going to have to go through..."

"Listen, Clarke, your parents don’t need to be shown that we're not the perfect match. Obviously we have nothing in common."

"It's obvious. There are no two people that are more different than us; we are like day and night. You're too yuppie for me."

"And you're too spontaneous for me."

"At least, I'm not willing to use anyone to get what I want."

"Please don’t exaggerate…"

"I am being spontaneous," Clarke frowned, "quite the opposite of you, Miss. Rigid. I bet you even have a plan to get where you want to go and do."

That's was true, her master plan. And it was going well. Or it had gone well until she met Clarke.

"Actions at thirty. Your first million at thirty-two. Retirement at thirty-five," Clarke said mockingly.

"At forty…When I achieve what I set out to do, I will be happy. 

"Clarke looked up at the ceiling again.

"You're just like ..."

"Who?"

"Like Finn."

*****

The day couldn’t get any worse. This morning her argument with Lexa. Nothing had been resolved; she didn’t achieve anything but gained irritation and a headache. Then, during lunch with her mother, she couldn’t stop talking about Lexa and behaving as if she were her image advisor. Clarke lost her appetite. She didn’t want to be reminded of Lexa's incredible eyes or her radiant smile as she ate Cesar salad and grilled chicken breast.

And now this.

Clarke was standing in strapless bra and panties in front of a huge mirror feeling as stupid as it looked. Although she could barely breathe, the bra fit very well. At least, that was what Nia Sorer, the owner of the bridal boutique, told her. She should know. Nia looked like a model. A thick black streak emphasized her green eyes. 

Nia approached her with a monstrous pile of white silk dresses. "Try this one."

Clarke looked at the dress cautiously.

"I don't know..."

"I promise you this one will sit you better than the others you've tried," Nia said.

"Clarke, why don’t you try?" Abby said impatiently.

"Okay..."

Nia helped Clarke into her dress and then buttoned her back. "Oh, my God," she clapped. "You look like you belong in a bridal magazine."

Clarke looked at her image in the mirror in horror. She looked like Scarlet O'Hara with her crown on. It was ridiculous. Flyers, pearls, lace ... Horrible.

Nia gave her some white gloves. "Put them on."

That was excessive. Clarke wanted to go home. She wanted to run away from there, forget about her family, and forget about Lexa. She looked at Abby, who gestured her to put on the gloves.

"How does it look?" Nia asked, visibly pleased with the effect in general.

"It's a bit... too much," Clarke said, avoiding to be abrupt.

Abby stared at her from top to bottom. "It's a beautiful dress, but I think something simpler is more of your style. The sleeves are too complicated."

"We could change them," Nia said.

"No one could change these sleeves." Clarke smiled, feeling relieved.

"I don’t know ... this dress reminds me of Emily's," Abby observed.

It didn’t surprise Clarke that she'd dislike that dress so much.

"It's from the same designer," Nia said, her lips tightening.

"It's very nice," Abby assured her. "But my daughters have very different tastes."

"Okay, I understand." Nia smiled. "Let me help you take it off, I'll bring you more dresses."

After Nia walked away, Clarke frowned. Her mother might have been reasonable about that particular dress, but she kept pushing. Pressing her to marry Lexa. Pressing her to do what she was supposed to do with her life. Pressing her to be someone who she wasn't. 

"I think I should have explained to Nia that you don’t want a dress like Emily's."

"I do not want anything to remind me of a wedding."

"Clarke, I know you're still disgusted by Emily's wedding with Finn, but it's okay. Finn wasn’t the right man for you; it would have made you unhappy. Now, you have a wonderful future with Lexa." Abby's eyes shone. "Why don’t you forget about the past?"

"If I only could!" Clarke thought. But it wasn’t easy with the pain, the pain that tear her heart to pieces. Treachery. She had trouble trusting people. How could she forget?  
Abby was still talking not noticing Clarke's inner struggle. "Once we find the wedding dress appropriate for you, you will feel better."

Clarke rubbed her temples, her head hurt. It was too much. The dress, the wedding, the lie ... everything. "What do you say we leave the dress out from the wedding, Mom? I could wear a toga. Actually, we could ask the guests to go to the wedding in a toga. I could ask you to..."

"Clarke, please," Abby says. "Can you imagine your father wearing a toga?"

"It was just an idea, Mom."

Nia reappeared with three more dresses. And after testing the first two, Nia said: "I think this is going to be the one you like the most."

Clarke looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful. White and ivory striped silk, with very simple and elegant lines. No lace, no pearls. Perfect.  
Abby smiled and turned to her daughter. "Oh, Clarke."

"Yes, it's perfect," Nia said.

Clarke looked like a bride, she felt like a bride. Not even the dress she had bought for her wedding with Finn had made her feel this way. It was the dress she wanted on her wedding day.

"If you don’t like stripes, we could order them to do it with the smooth fabric. I'm going to go get a headgear." Nia walked over to a corner of the room.

"How about that dress?" Abby asked.

"I like the stripes."

"Me too," Abby replied, much to the surprise of her daughter.

Suddenly, Clarke realized that she had to take off that dress before losing her mind. Where was Nia? She stamped on the ground impatiently, waiting for her return. How could she have gotten into this situation? She felt like a real fraud. She loved the dress, but she couldn’t buy it. She wasn’t a bride; she wasn’t going to marry Lexa. She looked at herself again in the mirror and held back a tear. She had found the perfect dress, the perfect dress for a wedding that wasn’t going to take place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again good people. I'm glad that you like this story because it's my favorite. I'll keep posting and you please continue giving me your opinion. Thank you all!


	5. The trouble

That same day, in the afternoon, Lexa was leaning on the corner of a street waiting for Clarke. She wanted to rest and spend some more time with Jake, but Clarke had other plans. She had grabbed her by the arm, pulled her to the car, and she didn’t gave her any explanation, just a smile. Normal behavior for Clarke.

But...

Something was wrong; Lexa noticed when she saw her biting her bottom lip constantly. She supposed it had something to do with what they had been talking about before, but she didn’t ask. She's tell her when she's ready.

Clarke wanted to go to the beach. They walked on wet sand with bare feet. Clarke didn’t speak much, another indication that something bothered her. Then she wanted to go to the town and there they were now. Clarke was sitting on a wooden stool. "Are you sure you don’t want your face painted, Lexa?" A woman dressed as a clown was painting daisies to Clarke's cheeks.

"No, thank you."

That was Carmel. She could get used to that life. Birds singing in the trees, tourists strolled through the streets visiting art galleries and boutiques. Some girls, waiting to paint their faces too, laughed behind them. Lexa wondered how Clarke was as a teenager. Without a doubt, an angel. Sigh. Wow! How could it have occurred to her to think such a thing?  
Clarke wasn’t her type. The perfect girlfriend for a weekend, but nothing more. She needed a woman who will be a good wife, to help her build a career. Clarke would never be content to chat politely at a business party. To have serious conversation with their guests, it was most likely that she would take the Tarot cards out and read them to the people.  
No, she wasn't the right woman for her.

Clarke got up from the bench and gave the clown a five-dollar bill. With a huge smile, she turned to her and showed her the newly painted daisies. "Is it good?"

"It's all right." Lexa smiled.

"All right?" She wrinkled her nose. "I wonder what you would think of my tattoo if you saw it."

"I wonder what would you thinks of mine?" Lexa smirked.

"You have a tattoo?"

Lexa just smiled.

"You don’t have a tattoo…" But Lexa was still silent and she just had kept smirking. "Lexa, you need to brighten up your life. You don’t want people to consider you boring, right?"

Anyone next to Clarke was boring. "My life is lively enough, thank you."

"You're welcome." Clarke smiled

"Do you fancy an ice cream?" Lexa asked.

"Yeah. There is an ice cream parlor on the corner."

The ice cream shop was almost empty, except for a family sitting around a table in a corner. Clarke ordered chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

"Do you want us to have it here?" She asked Lexa.

"Yes." Clarke pointed to a marble table by the window. "I want you to tell me what you and my father did."

Lexa grabbed couple paper napkins and gave Clarke hers before sitting down. "We had a great time."

"Details, Lexa. Give me the details."

She put a spoonful of the delicious ice cream in her mouth. Cold and tasty, just what she needed to not think about Clarke, who was hot and tasty? "Details?"

Clarke nodded. "And don’t leave anything out."

"Let's see ... I've lost, that's why I paid for lunch."

Clarke's eyes narrowed. "My father let you pay? Wow!"

Lexa didn’t consider that paying for lunch had anything extraordinary. Her father had insisted on paying, but she couldn’t say that to Clarke. "Jake won, but he didn’t like the score very much."

"He is a good golfer."

"He said he was an amateur."

"He plays three times a week at least." Clarke smiled.

Lexa put another spoonful of ice cream in her mouth. Although tasty, it didn’t refresh her much. Impossible, with Clarke licking very seductively her ice cream. What torture! I should have suggested taking a soda. Lexa thought. She didn’t know why, but when she was with Clarke, she was acting irrationally.

"Don’t worry; I'm sure you made him happy today." Clarke wiped her mouth with the napkin. "Well, what else have you done?"

"We had lunch at the club and then Jake took me for a walk. And you can't imagine where we ended up? In the banquet hall. Your father has commented that it was a good place for a wedding banquet."

"So you have decided the date of the wedding and you have chosen the room to have the banquet?" Clarke looked annoyed, but Lexa found it difficult to take her seriously with the daisies painted on her face.

"No, but your father likes the month of April" extending her arm, Lexa wiped the chocolate from Clarke's lips. "You have some chocolate."

"Thank you." Clarke smiled

"I've been thinking about what you said this morning," Lexa says. "And although I don’t think they think we're destined to spend our life together, I think your parents are getting too excited."

"I already told you."

"Don’t you think we're both to blame? After all, we are in this together."

"I don’t know, I guess…" Clarke bit her cone.

"When Jake showed me the banquet room, I told him that I liked traditional weddings, but that you wanted to get married on the beach, barefoot, and that a shaman would take care of the ceremony."

"A shaman!" Clarke laughed. "I'm proud of you, sweetheart. I can't believe you could think of that all by yourself."

"From time to time I'm also creative."

"And what did my father say?"

"That the beach can be uncomfortable for women because of the heels, but he didn’t mind that you want to go barefoot."

"Did my father say that?"

Lexa nodded, she didn’t want to mention that Jake said that Clarke's dress would cover her feet, so it didn’t matter whether she was barefoot or not.

"What about the shaman?"

Lexa laughed. "Neither that seemed to be a problem."

"Are you making fun of me?"

"I so wish that I am."

"Please tell me that you have said something else to him."

"Well..."

Clarke sighed. "Your foolish face tells me everything I need to know, Lexa. Damn you, you haven’t said another word to my father."

"Clarke..."

"You could have told my father that I want you to quit your job and go grow corn in Oregon."

"Do you think he would believe me if I said something like that? I said what I could, Clarke, I didn’t want to get too negative and that your father suspects something."

"Why not?"

"We were having a good time," Lexa didn’t want to ruin everything. Jake had taught her more in that few hours than all her years in college.

"You're so considerate..." Clarke threw a napkin at her face.

"No, I wasn’t considered." If so, she wouldn’t want to lick the chocolate from Clarke lips.

"Do you ever do something that deviates from the rules?" She asked.

"No, if I can help it."

"You're just too much..."

"I will consider it a compliment."

Clarke made a face and Lexa smiled mischievously. Clarke rubbed her temples and grunted. "My mother has taken me to buy a wedding dress."

Judging by her reaction, the shopping hadn’t gone very well. "Have you found something that you like?"

"The truth I ..." Clarke made a pause, she couldn’t help but blushing. "What are we doing? Before we know it we will be married and on our way to the honeymoon."

The alarm in her voice made Lexa smile. Honeymoon with Clarke would be just fine. Lexa suddenly realized what she's thinking and she shook her head. "I doubt it."  
Clarke pounded the table. "We have to do something drastic."

Lexa felt a cramp in her stomach. Dramatic for Clarke must be something very different from what she considered drastic. She was an extremist, and Lexa was always pragmatic. "I don’t like it drastic."

"I don’t mean a revolution, but something like that. This is developing too well, you have delighted my parents. They love you."

And Lexa liked Clarke's parents. "We already talked about this, Clarke. We have survived half of the weekend; we are almost at the end."

Clarke nodded. "I know you're worried about what might happen to your career, but we can't forget about my mental health."

"I know." It was time to face the truth. Lexa needed Clarke more than she needed her. That her parents got into her life was one thing, but quite another was to plan her future. "I know it's not easy, but I ask you twenty-four hours more." Clarke hesitated. "Twenty-four hours more, Clarke. Don’t you think you could take it?"

"Yes I can, but it's just..."

"What?"

Clarke's voice turned into a whisper. "Take my hand and look at me with love."

Lexa guessed that Clarke had a logical explanation for that change in her behavior. Until she lifted her hand and kissed her fingers one by one. Obviously Clarke had lost her mind. Lexa tried to pull her hand away, but Clarke held it strong. "What are you...?"

"I can't believe what my eyes see." A woman's voice behind Lexa left her mouth dry. Lexa turned. Emily, accompanied by Finn, had approached the table. "It doesn’t surprise me that my sister shows her affection in a public place, but you, Lexa ... I thought you were above that."

"What are you doing here?" Clarke asked then.

"We were doing some shopping and we saw you and your darling fiancé. Well, the whole town must've seen you two."

"I meant what you're doing in Carmel," Clarke asked again tightly.

"Didn’t Mom tell you? No, I suppose not." Emily's laugh echoed in the ice cream parlor. "Guess who's having dinner tonight at the house?"

*****

To Clarke's surprise, everyone behaved well during dinner. It reminded her of the nations at war trying to negotiate peace. Everyone was polite. Abby had prepared some delicious ribs, but Clarke found it difficult to enjoy the food. With Emily and Finn monopolizing the conversation, still talking about their house search, Clarke had time to think and daydream about Lexa. She imagined her in front of an altar in a church full of flowers...

What was wrong with her? Why did she think about that? She didn’t want to know anything about love; she couldn’t afford to fall in love. Seeing Emily with Finn reminded her of the pain she felt in surprising them together in her apartment. In her own bed. That was all Clarke needed to remember. She swallowed hard and remembered that she didn’t feel anything for her. She couldn’t think of Lexa more than a fake girlfriend, just a fake girlfriend. As soon as the weekend was over, she would be free again. Free from her parents and free from Lexa. But until then, she had to remain part of the perfect couple that both had created, had to play her part in that lie.

After dinner, Clarke followed the others into the living room, where they were going to digest dinner and make room for an exquisite dessert, a cake. A happy family. Emily and Finn were sitting on one of the couches, Clarke and Lexa on the other. Jake and Abby each in chairs, as two referees to make sure they all played fair. When Lexa put an arm around her shoulders, it was hard for Clarke to breathe. Her heart pounded. She looked at Lexa, but she didn’t seem to notice. She would have liked that Lexa feel the same. 

Her father served cognac. "Well, Clarke, have you chosen your wedding dress yet?"

She had found the perfect dress, but she didn’t need a wedding dress. "Not yet, Dad."

"Your mom told me there's a beautiful one ..."

Lexa kissed her cheek. "Clarke is pretty even if she wears a brown bag."

Clarke flushed, despite the unoriginality of the phrase. I wish she didn’t care about what Lexa says.

"It certainly doesn’t look anything like a brown bag. It's perfect and you know it, Clarke." Abby made her opinion very clear. "Do you want me to call Nia and order the dress?"

"I still haven’t made up my mind, Mom." Clarke had her eyes fixed on Lexa's smile. Her lips were so full. As much as Clarke tried to forget the kiss, she couldn’t. And she was very worried. Do not forget, Clarke, you only have twenty-four hours left. She thought. "The dress is fine for a wedding in spring or summer, but not for the winter," Clarke added.

Abby smiled. "Do you have any idea when you want to get married?

"June is a good month," Emily said.

Finn nodded. "And also very traditional, so you'll have to reserve a spot soon, because everything at that time is pretty much taken."

"I've had so much work lately that we haven’t had time to think about the wedding." Lexa said

"Once things settle down at Lexa's work, we'll think about the date. Besides, we don’t have to rush, do we, honey?"

"As long as you marry me one of these days, honey."

Emily made a face. "How cute."

Finn looked uncomfortable "Do you want us to leave now, my dear?"

"Shut up," Emily snapped.

Finn cleared his throat. "At least that way we'll have time to give you two an engagement party. I hope you have no problem with that, Lexa."

"I don’t…"

"Well, I do." Clarke resisted the urge to stand and walk away. Run away actually.

"I knew this would happen," Emily told Finn.

Jake took a sip of brandy. "Clarke, baby, I think you should consider the engagement party."

"No, I don’t. It is a marriage, not a business."

Jake finished his cognac. "Okay, but, at least, think about it. I have to admit that I'm excited about your wedding." Jake said.

"Dad, it was you who always warned me not to rush. Lexa's work is giving us the chance to get to know each other better before committing ourselves further. That's what you've always wanted."

"Well, now I've changed my mind," Jake says, surprising his daughter even more. "At first I had my doubts, but it is obvious that you are made for each other. The way your eyes shine, honey, Lexa's the one. And I'm sure she agrees with me."

Clarke looked at her mother. Her mother always thought that the young men threw themselves into marriage without thinking. She would give her the reason. "Mom..."

"I agree with your father, Clarke. I don’t see the need for a year or two of courtship. In my opinion, that is just a waste of time."

Clarke was running out of support. "Emily, what do you think?"

Emily just smiled. "Why wait? I think you make a great couple. What's more, I'm ready to throw you the engagement party. Do you agree, Finn?"

Finn's eyes widened. "Yes, of course, that's fine."

"What do you think in two weeks?" Emily asked.

"It seems perfect to me," Jake says. "It is an extraordinary idea. I know several people Lexa would like to meet."

Abby sighed. "Why don’t you ask Clarke and Lexa what they think of that?"

Taken by surprise, Clarke didn’t know what to answer. In part, the support of her mother had softened her; On the other hand, she was certain that Emily was planning something. "That's very kind of you, but I know how busy you and Finn are."

"It's nothing, you're my sister. I haven’t seen you since my wedding. So, I would love to do this for you."

Clarke wanted to believe that her sister was being honest, but she couldn’t do it. "I appreciate the offer, but..."

As usual, Emily wasn’t listening. But, then she turned and looked at Clarke's fiancé. "Lexa, what do you think? Are you ready to appear in front of the world with my sister on your arm? Last night we were at the opening of an exhibition and I met two of your co-workers, none of them knew about your engagement. Why's that?"

Lexa tensed, Clarke too. She sat up in the seat waiting for Emily to launch the bomb. "Maybe my sister isn’t very classy, but don’t tell me you're ashamed of her, Lexa?" Emily said that sentence in a warning tone.

"It seems to me that two weeks are great," Lexa said.

Damn her weekend girlfriend! I would kill her before two weeks. Clarke would kill her girlfriend and then her sister. No jury would condemn her after careful consideration of the facts.

Emily's smile widened.  
"This is wonderful, I'm delighted," Abby said, rising from the couch. "I'm going for dessert."

Clarke didn’t want to try the cake, despite being chocolate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all of you for the support.
> 
> If you want more contact, follow me on https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sappytwodoorsdown


	6. The Pillow fight

Clarke was angry with her. Lexa knew that because she was biting her bottom lip for a while now. Therefore, she took her time to put on some boxers and a top with which she would get into bed, and to brush her teeth. But she couldn’t spend all night in the bathroom. She opened the bathroom door and entered the room. After three steps, something soft hit her head "What the hell?" Beside her, Clarke was armed with a pillow. Her blond hair fell down her shoulders, reminding her of a lion's mane. She also wore her shirt, too short and too transparent. Beneath the T-shirt black panties were visible. "Is that because I kissed you? Hey, it wasn’t my fault. It's was because of your parents and Emily and Finn."

"How dare you kiss me like that?" Clarke shouted, throwing another pillow to her belly.

"We are supposed to act as the normal couple."

Clarke hit her again with the pillow. "And this is for telling to Emily that she can prepare us the engagement party. How could you do such thing?"

"And how could I deny that offer after being accused of being ashamed of you? I couldn’t do it, Clarke." Lexa looked at the pillow with some terror.

"We had agreed to be a couple only this weekend, that's all."

"Well, now I'm going to be your girlfriend for two more weeks. It's not so terrible, is it?"

"What do you think?" Clarke got ready to hit her again with her pillow.

"Two weeks, Clarke." Lexa made a huge effort not to look at her legs. "Then I will disappear from your life forever."

She didn’t like when Lexa said forever. She didn’t like it at all. "I wanted to see you disappear tomorrow." 

Lie. Lexa could see it in Clarke's eyes. She knew from the way she'd responded to her kiss. "You can't always get what you want, Clarke."

"Do you want to bet?" Clarke tried to hit her again, but Lexa ducked. Then, she grabbed the pillow from her bed. Clarke wanted to play? They will play. They could both do the same. 

Lexa's eyes locked on hers. Face to face, they looked like two fighters armed with pillows looking for revenge. Lexa couldn’t help smiling at the seriousness with which Clarke had looked at her. "Are you sure you want to continue this? I warn you, I know how to fight Clarke, it seemed fair to warn you." She had won many pillow fights with her siblings. "But I'm willing to quit if you are."

Clarke smiled sheepishly and then threw a pillow hit into her arm. She had declared war.

"Okay, you wanted it," Lexa hit her with the pillow in her belly.

"It's not fair," Clarke ran across the room.

"Why it's not fair?" Lexa had given her the opportunity quit, but she hadn’t accepted.

Clarke hit right and left, some she missed and others she didn’t. But, Lexa hit her more and the years of running every morning and the days spent at the gym were paying off now. Lexa smiled. "Do you want to quit now? 

Clarke smiled defiantly. "I don’t."

Moving toward her, Lexa raised her eyebrows. "It's up to you."

After a small scream, Clarke savagely flung herself into the air with her pillow. But, Lexa easily blocked her effort.

"Always such a gentlewoman, isn’t that right, Lexa?

"Of course." She replied, smiling as she hit Clarke with the pillow on her head.

"You're going to pay for it."

"I don’t think so."

When Clarke climbed onto the bed, Lexa cornered her against the wall. "Do you give up already?"

Clarke launched another attack with the pillow, but Lexa ducked.

"No answer, Clarke?" Lexa's pillow hit Clarke's legs, making her stagger. Clarke spread her arms in an attempt to keep her balance, and managed not to fall. "And now?"

"Never!"

Lexa laughed. "I am faster than you."

"I'm smarter than you." Clarke made one last attack.

That was enough. Lexa grabbed the pillow in the middle of the attack, snatched it away, and threw it across the room. Clarke stared at the pillow on the floor. Her mouth fell open. Then she narrowed her eyes and stared at Lexa. "You are..."

Lexa made a gesture with her pillow, as if to attack her, and she closed her mouth. "If you were one of my siblings, Clarke, I would made you say that I am the master of the universe."

"Well, I'm not going to say it."

No, she wasn’t. And Lexa wasn’t going to be so cruel. "You can say that I am the perfect girlfriend." Lexa smirked.

"The girlfriend that is perfectly crazy if you think that I'm going to say that." Then Clarke attacked her, with tickles... "Well, I've discovered your weakness," said Clarke triumphantly. "Give me my pillow."

Lexa backed away, but she followed. "I won't."

"In that case, Suffer, crazy girlfriend." She continued to tickle her until Lexa couldn’t take it anymore. She tried to hold her by the arms, but she couldn’t because Clarke kept moving forward. She continued to tickle her. In turn, Lexa began to tickle her. Clarke laughed like a child, her face barely a few inches away from hers.

The tickling stopped.

Looking into her eyes, Lexa's heartbeat quickened. The desire to kiss her was overwhelming. Clarke's lips parted, the only invitation Lexa needed. She lowered her face. She opened her mouth wider. That kiss was not for anyone except for them. She never wanted to stop, and Lexa savored it. Warm and sweet. It was like a drug. Her kisses were like a drug.

Clarke threw her head back so Lexa could kiss her throat. "Oh, Lexa..."

So sweet. No perfume, no matter how expensive, could compete with the simplicity of her aroma. Clarke smelled of freshly cut flowers one spring day.

Lexa shirt was pulled up. Clarke's too. Her naked breasts touched. Lexa felt herself burn. She ran her hand over Clarke's smooth belly, caressing her soft skin, covering her breasts. 

It was perfect.

Clarke moaned. The moan made Lexa go mad. She wanted Clarke with all her soul. She had never wanted anyone that much. "Clarke..." It was so soft, so wonderful...

Clarke kissed her breast, her nipples.

Lexa held her breath. "Clarke, we have to stop."

Clarke stroked her back. "We don’t."

Lexa couldn’t take much more. What Clarke was doing to her with her mouth and hands was driving Lexa crazy. She closed her eyes to try to imagine ice water in winter, but her mind only managed to conjure a Caribbean beach. "Stop it, Clarke." Lexa said again, but despite that she trailed kisses down her neck.

"Do you want me to stop?" Clarke whispered to her before running her tongue over her earlobe.

"No, I don’t want to".

"I do not want to stop either, Lexa." Clarke smiled and continued caressing her, "And I don’t want you to stop either."

Get back the control. But it was very difficult. Clarke had told her that she wanted to continue to the end. Lexa also wanted to, but ... "This would only complicate matters."

"I don’t care." Clarke continued to nibble at her ear.

Of course she didn’t care. Clarke never cared about the consequences of her actions. She followed her instinct. But Lexa wasn’t like that. She gritted her teeth. I couldn’t allow that, she was in Jake Griffin's house and this was his daughter. Taking her hand, Lexa moved her away softly. To soften the abruptness of the gesture, she gave her a tender kiss. "We can't do that…"

Clarke looked down and took a deep breath.

"Clarke…" Lexa lifted her chin to look at her. "I want you, but not like this." Not in the middle of this farce. Do you understand?" With lips swollen by her kisses and eyes with a shade of dark night, Clarke nodded. "You're incredibly beautiful and sensual." Lexa stroked her cheek. "You know you're driving me crazy."

"I..."

"Talking would only make things worse. Let's go to sleep… or at least, let's try." Lexa was in Clarke's bed, but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to sleep that night, too much had happened. Sleeping hugged to Clarke would be a real torture, but not doing so would be even more painful. "Do you mind if I sleep in your bed tonight?" When she saw her hesitate, she added: "Come on, get into bed."

Clarke obeyed. She lay down beside her, Clarkes breasts pressed to her chest. Lexa hugged her, making an impossible effort to maintain control of her body. Slowly, Clarke relaxed. The soft sound of Clarke's breath told her she must have fallen asleep, but she was afraid to look down her body. Lexa wanted to caress her. She wanted to make love to her. But she wasn’t going to do it.

Not tonight.

*****

The next morning, Clarke awoke to the beating of Lexa's heart. Her scent caressed Clarke's nose. She huddled against her, boasting in her heat. It was wonderful. Yawn. She and Lexa, a real couple.

What a wonderful dream.

She opened her eyes. Sunlight bathed the room. No, it wasn’t a dream. Clarke stared at Lexa. The relaxed expression and closed eyes told her that Lexa was still asleep. Her hair more messy than usual made Clarke smile. The previous night she had shown a tenderness that moved her, and a passion that left her wanting more. The night before everything has changed and at the same time nothing has changed. She sighed. Lexa didn’t belong to her. She would never be hers. However, all had been so natural, so authentic ... But it wasn’t real. 

Suddenly she felt a lump in her throat. She was falling in love with Lexa Woods. She was definitely falling in love. It was the only thing that could explain her behavior. But falling in love with Lexa, wanting to make love to her made no sense. She didn’t want to fall in love. She didn’t want to fall in love with Lexa or any other person. Even if she wanted to fall in love, Lexa was the kind of woman she didn’t want: capitalist, materialist, ambitious, rigid. A woman like her ex-boyfriend. She knew she shouldn’t be carried away by her feelings, experience had thought her. She was an idiot. She had been exposed to having her heart broken again.

Lexa opened her eyes. The circles under her eyes told Clarke she was tired, but she smiled at the sight of her. "Good Morning."

Clarke felt a tingling in her stomach. "Good Morning."

"Have you slept well?"

"Yeah." 

Lexa's smile excited her. She wanted to touch her, kiss her, and make love to her. But she didn’t want to make another mistake. After two weeks Lexa will disappear from her life. Going forward with her desires was a mistake. Lexa was stiff; she had a plan for life. It wouldn’t work. "Is something wrong, Clarke?"

"Of course not." Clarke pulled the sheets up to her chin. She wasn’t modest, but Lexa made her feel shy. It was so easy to dream that Lexa was hers. Her parents seemed happy, she felt happy. But if she continued the farce much more, she would end up suffering. However, she had never felt what she felt about Lexa, not even for Finn.

"Is this about that we have slept in the same bed?"

Lexa made her feel alive, beautiful and special. "It's not."

"So what's wrong with then?"

"Last night was ... wonderful."

Smiling, Lexa kissed her hand. "Wonderful. I wish we could have continued. I'm sorry we had to stop."

"I know but..."

Lexa's eyes darkened, like the forest in the middle of a storm. "But what?"

It wasn’t going to be easy, and less with her heart dictating everything contrary to what dictated her reason. She knew what she had to do, the only thing she could do.  
"I have begun to think about ... the complications of our actions." I'm falling in love with you, I can't let it happen. Clarke thought that, but she couldn’t say that. "We have nothing in common, but between us there is a certain..."

"Chemistry," Lexa said.

"Yes, but you were right, we had to stop."

Lexa frowned. "I'm glad you're okay with it."

Clarke also wished that, for once, Lexa wouldn’t agree with her.

*****

Clarke finished placing the breakfast plates in the dishwasher. She leaned over of the kitchen window. A soft breeze ruffled the surface of the water in the pool. Her family and Lexa were sitting outside. Five people having coffee on a sunny Sunday morning with a blue sky. Five people sharing similar goals. Five people that was so different from her.  
She put the detergent in the dishwasher. In one weekend, Lexa had managed two things: to win over her parents and steal her heart. She wanted to forget about her kisses, her warmth. She wanted to forget Lexa. But it wasn’t going to be so easy; they had an engagement party in two weeks. "Damn it". Clarke slammed the dishwasher door shut.

Lexa knocked on glass of the window. "Are you done, Clarke?"

She didn’t want to go outside, she felt safer inside the house. The longer she was with Lexa, the more she was lost. "I'll come right away..."

"You'd better hurry up." 

Lexa wore a white T-shirt under a blue shirt and khaki shorts. She looked very beautiful in her casual clothes. Her throat felt dry. "What's going on?"

"Your family is getting very excited."

"I already told you that..."

"It's worse than that. You can't imagine who your father wants to invite to the party." Lexa recited a list of names, including several Silicon Valley big business. The perfect guest list for a capital investor. Lexa would be in paradise, Clarke is in hell.

"Wow, that's quite a list."

Lexa shrugged.

Did she just shrug? "Does that not make you excited?"

Lexa frowned. "What if something happens? I've worked so hard and I'm so close to ... This could end in disaster."

It was already a mess, but Clarke wasn’t about to tell her. "Nothing will happen. I will behave like the perfect fiancée and you will impress them so much that everyone will wonder why you are not working with them."

"Thank you, I needed to hear something like that." Lexa let out a sigh of relief. "Anyway, I think you should get out. Emily and your mother are deciding what goes on the gift list."

"The gift list?"

"Yes, wedding gifts." Lexa's smile quickened her pulse.

"That's not funny."

"It's not a joke."

"Lexa, we're not engaged," she said, lowering her voice. "We can't accept any gifts."

"We will return them after you break my heart."

"Very funny, Woods. And why, if you can tell me, will it be you who ends up with a broken heart?"

Lexa lowered her eyes.

"Of course, you don’t want to offend the all-powerful Jake Griffin, do you? Clarke washed her hands.

"Is not that…" Lexa said.

"Yes it is." What worried Lexa the most was her wallet, just like Finn. She and Finn could’ve been twins. Clarke wiped her hands with a kitchen towel.

"Please, come out." Lexa put her hands in the pockets of her pants. "I need you."

I wish it was true. I wish you would need me. Clarke couldn’t say that to Lexa. How can she explain that to her...? She doesn’t feel like that. "I'm coming." With the coffeepot in hand, Clarke stepped outside. "Does anyone want more coffee?"

Her father took the coffee pot and placed it on the glass table. "Sit down, Clarke."

Lexa patted the cushion of the chair next to hers. "Come, sit here, honey."

Abby smiled. "Clarke, we were just talking about your engagement party. You need to make the gift list."

"It's not necessary, Mom."

"Yes it is," Abby says. "I know the perfect store; I'll make an appointment for next week."

"Next week I have work."

"I know, but you have employees in the store. I'll make an appointment one day in the afternoon and I'll go with you. You'll see how good it'll be. Then we will go and buy the wedding dress."

Clarke wanted her parents to stop meddling into her life. Think positively, everything will be over in two weeks. Two weeks wasn’t too long. "Okay…"

"As for the party, we have decided that going dressed in etiquette would be excessive, considering that it is going to be announced at short notice," Emily said.

"And, of course, if some of them go in a tuxedo and others don’t that'll look bad," Finn added.

"As usual, you're right, Finn." Emily slapped her husband on the hand.

Clarke wondered how it was possible that she had been in love with Finn. Marrying him would have been a real disaster.

"Let's leave it somewhat formal," Emily said. "Next week we will go shopping, I know the best boutiques in the city. We will go out shopping every day and we'll end up finding something spectacular."

Clarke thanked her, but she didn’t want to spend too much time with her sister. 

"You're very kind, Emily," Lexa says then. "But I've been wanting to buy something special for Clarke for a long time and this is the perfect opportunity to do it."

Clarke stared at Lexa, stared at them all. She had invented a girlfriend with the intention of preventing her parents from intruding into her life, but that wasn’t working. Now, it wasn’t just her parents who interfered, but Emily and Finn as well. And Lexa. Didn’t Lexa realize that she wasn’t helping her at all? She was so tired. "I have an idea that will solve the problem of clothing," Clarke said. "Let everyone go dressed as they want."

They all stared at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I thought about this story and I think that I shouldn't make her too long. What do you think? Leave your comments below or contact me on https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sappytwodoorsdown
> 
> Thanks to you all for the support.


	7. The jealousy

"May each one be dressed as they want?" Lexa was staring at the road. "Don’t you think it's a bit extreme?"

"Extremism is the only thing my family is familiar with."

"I thought your mother and Emily were going to faint."

"They're not the ones who is going to faint," Clarke said. "Besides, I had to do something; if I didn’t, my mother was going to start sending the wedding invitations." The tension became palpable in the car.

"Wednesday afternoon. But I don’t want you to come; it will be easier without you."

"Then I will not go," Lexa said relieved. "But the party ... Clarke, it would be wonderful for my career to meet so many important people in the world of capital investments. Although I know you don’t feel like partying at all."

"That I don’t feel like partying?" Clarke gave an ironic laugh. "It will be a mess. Do you know why Emily wants to give the engagement party?"

"For you."

"No. There's something in the way, but I don’t know what it is. I think she wants to break us up."

"Did she tell you that?"

"No, but it's obvious. Think about the comment you made about accompanying me to find a suitable dress. I think what she's trying to tell you is that I'm not the right wife for you."

"That's not true. You will be a wonderful wife to any woman or man you marry." Lexa couldn’t afford to forget that Clarke wasn’t her type.

"The person that I marry is not going to be interested in the world of capital investment." That was the truth. That relationship wouldn’t work.

"Do you hate the business world so much?"

"Yes. And the famous party is more than I can stand."

Had Finn brought her to parties, or Jake? Lexa tried to picture her between caviar and champagne canapés, but she couldn't. Clarke didn’t fit in that world. "Are you saying that from experience? Have you been to many parties of that type?"

"I used to work for Richardson and Scott."

Richardson and Scott was one of the most prestigious investment companies in the country. Clarke, in her hippie dresses, working in a conservative company? "What did you do there?"

"I was a systems analyst."

"Why did you leave?" Lexa asked, surprised at her confession.

"Because I didn’t like to work there."

"It's an extraordinary company. Many hours of work, but it pays off." Then, Lexa saw her shrug.

"I didn’t like it."

What did she like? Richardson and Scott promoted the work of women more than any other large enterprise. She must be crazy to quit that job. "Why?"

"For many reasons… I couldn’t bear to get up early. I couldn’t bear to stay up late working. And I could not stand the politics inside the company. But the worst thing was the stockings and heels."

Stockings and heels? Had she left an excellent job because she didn’t like stockings or heels? With her long, well-formed legs she must have been beautiful. Lexa would have stared at her in disbelief if she could take her eyes off the road. "You just exhausted yourself. Why didn’t you take a long vacation without pay?"

"I did." Clarke smiled. "Permanently."

"But..."

"You don’t understand, do you?" Clarke bit her lip. "It wasn’t just my job, Lexa, what I couldn’t stand was that world. I felt very sad, never smiling, always on the verge of an ulcer. It was horrible. I looked at myself in the mirror and I couldn’t recognize myself. I end up not knowing who I was."

"You could've have everything."

"What I had was a wonderful apartment in the Marina, designer clothes and a Italian sports car. I made a lot of money; but when you work eighty hours a week, what's the use of money? It didn’t take me long to realize that money wasn’t as important as I thought it was."

Money was important. If Clarke had grown up in a family like her own, struggling to get something to eat, she would think differently. "To say that is easy when you have a father like yours behind you."

"I've never asked my father for money." Anger was present in her eyes. "Do you think my father sends me a check every month?"

"I don’t know what to believe."

"I own a bookstore, a bookstore I bought with the money I got from Richardson and Scott, with the money I got from the car sale, and with the money I borrowed from the bank," Clarke wrinkled her nose. "At least, that job gave me something good."

"And the money for the gas?"

"All the money my father gives me, I put into a savings account. Once a year, I use it to buy golf tickets for his favorite field. Have you satisfied your curiosity already?"

"Yes." Lexa had made her mad. "I wouldn’t have guessed..."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes."

"Is money that important to you?"

Lexa hesitated. "You wouldn’t understand."

"Put me to the test."

"You grew up rich; I grew up on a farm where my parents had to make a miracle to put food on the table every day." Lexa sighed. "We never had any money. Never." Lexa sighed again and went on: "I remember one Christmas that we had less than usual because of the rain that had spoiled the autumn harvest and, to top it all, my father had broken his leg. There was no money for gifts, so my mother and I spent the night before preparing pastries in the kitchen and candy so that my siblings had presents. I decided that Christmas that would never happen to or my parents again. I wanted to be able to help my family, I wanted them to never have to worry about food and Christmas presents. So since that day I worked hard to come here where I am."

"How old were you?" Clarke asked.

"Twelve."

"Were you happy?"

"Yes, that was before I realized how much my parents were struggling to feed us through," she said, "I know it's hard for you to understand, Clarke, but don’t think that life is romantic. You can't be poor and happy at the same time."

Clarke turned around and stared out the window. "But, being rich doesn’t guarantee you happiness."

*****

On Tuesday night, Lexa hung up the phone. Abby Griffin was awesome. That woman didn’t know what a refusal was. Clarke was going to get angry. She better give her the news in time to calm her down. Fighting with pillows was one thing, but quite another to break the porcelain and glass of one of San Francisco's most expensive shops. Besides, she wanted to talk to Clarke. She also wanted to see her. Being with Clarke made her crazy, and she went crazy when she wasn’t with her. She didn’t know what to do. She picked up the phone and dialed Clarke's number.

After four rings, the answering machine answered. "Hi, Clarke, It's Lexa. Lexa Woods. Your mother called me to invite me to go with you to prepare the gift list. I don’t know how, but she made me accept. Give me a call." Lexa hated answering machines. She hung up the phone and she ran her hand through her hair. Lexa looked at her watch. Nine o'clock. She didn’t know if Clarke had closed the bookstore, but she had to keep working. She would call her again when she gets home.

Eleven o clock. Lexa began to worry seriously. It wasn’t possible that she had the bookstore open so late. And what if she wasn’t in the bookstore, where she was it? More importantly, was she with somebody?

At midnight, Lexa was pacing around her apartment. She couldn’t sleep and she couldn’t work. Clarke hadn’t called her. Lexa picked up the cellphone and called again. When the machine answered, she hung up.

What if something had happened to her? An accident? Her stomach clenched.

This is crazy.

*****

When Clarke entered her apartment, she yawned. It had been a long night, and she hadn’t realized how much work had been piled up. She had to finish a job that couldn’t be done with the store full of customers. A job that kept her busy avoiding her spending the hours at home thinking about Lexa.

She dropped her bag on the floor and untied the laces of her black boots. As she bent down, a sharp pain ran down her spine. That was because she had slept on the floor the night before. Anyway, what she needed was a hot shower. She took off her boots with her feet.

That was when she saw the blinking light of the answering machine. She wanted to sleep, but it could be an important message. She pressed the button. It has two messages, said the digital voice. Message left on Tuesday at twenty fourteen minutes. "Hi, Clarke," her mother said. "Sorry to bother you, but I had a wonderful idea. What do you say if Lexa comes with us tomorrow? Wouldn’t that be great? Since you're not here, I'll call you tomorrow at the store. At seven. Don’t be late."

Great. Just what she needed, her mother watching as she and Lexa chose porcelain and glassware.

Message left on Tuesday at twenty hours fifty-nine minutes, said the machine. "Hi, Clarke, It's Lexa. Lexa Woods. Your mother called me to invite me to go with you to prepare the gift list. I don’t know how, but she got me to accept. Give me a call."

Lexa was so polite.

What time was it? She pressed the clock key on the answering machine. It was eight in the morning on Wednesday. How early. No wonder she couldn’t keep her eyes open. She should go to bed. She had to go back to the store at noon again. Then with her mother and Lexa to register for gifts...

She stared at the phone. She should call Lexa to tell her, she couldn’t go with them, but she didn’t want to talk to Lexa. Well, maybe yes. She wished she could forget her, but it was easier said than done. Lexa was a difficult girl to forget.  
Eight. Lexa is probably in her office by now, so she wouldn’t have to talk to her. She would leave a message on her answering machine. Perfect.

Clarke dialed her number. To the third call... Lexa answered. "Yes?"

Clarke panicked for a few seconds, but common sense told her she had to say something. "Hi, Lexa."

"Clarke?"

"Yes, it's me," she said, thinking she should be working. But that didn’t matter to her. "I was glad to hear your message."

"Is not it a bit early for you?"

"I just got home."

"You just arrived…" Lexa frowned, suddenly feeling very jealous.

"Yes." Clarke yawned. "You don’t work today?"

"I have a meeting."

"Oh, it must be just like going to the dentist."

Clarke threw her head laughing back and felt another twinge of pain in her back. "Oh! Ouch!"

"Is something wrong with you, Clarke?"

"I'm tired and my back is killing me," yawning again and thinking about how well she would feel to be in her bed. It probably be better if Lexa accompanies her. Those thoughts were dangerous. She must be exhausted. "I haven’t slept much last night. I'm going to lie down as soon as I hang up."

There was silence on the other side of the line.

"Lexa?" More silence. Had she hung up? Clarke wondered. "Lexa, are you there?"

"Yes," she answered at last.

Clarke shrugged, causing more pain in her back. She didn’t know what was wrong with Lexa, but she didn’t care. "Lexa, you don’t have to come with us this afternoon." Clarke imagined herself with Lexa choosing china and glassware. Very intimate, just like typical couple. The dividing line between reality and fiction was blurring. "Don’t you think we would feel ... uncomfortable?"

"Yes, but your mother has decided that I must go."

"You're becoming a model daughter-in-law."

"I don’t have any other option."

No, Lexa didn’t. She wasn’t going to please her, ambition was what motivated her. "I know."

"I'll pick you up and we'll go to Union Square together," Lexa said. "Your bookstore is on Twenty-Fourth Street in Noe Valley, okay?"

Clarke yawned. "Yes."

"What's the name?"

"The Attic."

"Okay, I'll be there at six-thirty. All right?"

"All right… And Lexa, thank you, I know this is not easy for you either".

"It's not important. Until later."

*****

That afternoon, Lexa was walking down Twenty-Fourth Street. The smell of olive oil and lamb filled her nose as she passed by a Greek restaurant. She inhaled, wondering if the food would taste as good as it smelled. Her stomach roared. She hadn’t eaten much and she barely had lunch. She hadn’t been able to eat thanks to Clarke. She must have meet someone else. But she had told her she wasn’t interested in anyone. That must be a special person. She had already slept with that person. She had even hurt her back. Didn’t Saturday mean anything to her? It hadn’t been a just any kiss, but much more than that.

Alarm bells rang. The danger signs lit up. She was jealous.

Lexa was falling in love with Clarke Griffin. She had never fallen in love.  
It didn’t make sense. Her routine had been interrupted by a woman who saw nothing wrong in ordering a starter dessert in a fancy restaurant. A woman that Lexa had known for a little over a week.

Lexa's stomach tightened again. Damn it.

She didn’t want to feel what she felt. She had a great job and participation in the company at hand. In a few years she would be a millionaire and have everything she wanted. Her family would no longer have to worry about anything. She didn’t want to fall in love. But she couldn’t stop thinking about Clarke kissing another person. Lexa wanted to punch someone, preferably that other person.

It took her a minute to realize that she had passed Clarke's shop. She retraced her steps. The Attic was bigger than she'd thought. Besides the main floor, there was an actual attic. Without knowing why, she had assumed that the bookstore was specialized in rare books; but, with surprise, she saw in the window bestsellers and the New York Times.

Clarke was behind the counter, smiling and talking to a customer. She wore a ponytail and crystal earrings. She was beautiful.

And she had a lover.

Lexa went into the bookstore and noticed that it smelled of cinnamon and clove. The wooden shelves were old and scratched, but they looked good in that informal setting. The walls could use another layer of paint. Clarke could transform the attic into a coffee bar. But even without the upgrades, the store had the charm of a traditional establishment.

"I'm with you in a moment, Lexa." Clarke told her from the counter. Then she turned her attention to an elderly woman. Then she stepped off the counter and walked to a hallway. From one of the bookshelves she took out a paperback book and then laughed with the woman as if they were good friends. As soon as Clarke had finished with her, another customer came up to the counter with a pile of paperbacks in his hand.

Clarke looked at Lexa and she smiled.

"Don’t worry about me, I'll look around," Lexa said. She was intrigued to see the responsible, professional side of Clarke. She smiled. She liked that side of Clarke.

Another customer walked over to the counter and Clarke shouted, "Jasper."

A young man ran down the stairs. He had short black hair, and he was tall and thin with a grin from ear to ear. Clarke whispered something in his ear and Jasper stepped behind the counter.

When Clarke approached Lexa, she threw a small bag over her shoulders. Her long floral skirt caressed her legs. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting."

"I like your bookstore." Lexa smiled.

Clarke smiled. "Thank you."

Lexa gestured to the man behind the counter, the man who watched all of Clarke's movements. "Does he work for you?"

Clarke turned her head. "You mean Jasper?"

Lexa nodded.

"I don’t know what I would do without him, he is my right hand."

Was Jasper her new boyfriend? Lexa gritted her teeth. "How long has he been working for you?"

"Since I opened the bookstore. I don’t know where he's coming from, but he's my guardian angel since he set foot here." She gestured to Jasper. "Bye Jasper."

Jasper smiled. It seemed to Lexa that he was too flirtatious, but it was obvious that he could fool women like that. She had to warn Clarke against such men. "Have fun, Blondie."

Blondie? Jasper called her Blondie? Lexa waited for her to correct him, but Clarke just smiled.

"Ready, Lexa?"

Ready to kill Jasper.

Lexa opened the door for Clarke and let her pass. "Are you feeling better?" Why did she ask that question? She didn’t want to know the details. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized that she was a masochist.

"Yes, I am thanks." Clarke left the store. "But I'm to blame, even though Jasper warned me. But I never listen to what they tell me."

Lexa didn’t want to know the intimate details of a night of passion between Clarke and man named Jasper. "Clarke, I ..."

"He told me that I'm not twenty anymore, that I couldn’t stay up all night working..."

"Clarke, really..." she paused." What had she said? "Working? All night?"

"Yes," she replied. "I spent the night rearranging the books and seeing how I could change the shelves. Jasper had to leave at two o'clock in the morning, but he made me promise not to go home alone."

"Thanks, Jasper." Someone had to take care of Clarke. Lexa wanted to shake the man's hand. "What about the back?"

"I slept on the floor in the back room. No, I guess I'm not a teenager anymore."

"We're not anymore," Lexa said and smiled, feeling great relief. There was no need to be jealous. Although, of course, she wasn’t jealous of anyone ... Jealous? She? No way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Thanks for you support. Keep reeding and giving me your lovely opinion.


	8. The confesion

As they climbed the escalator to the third floor, Clarke stared at the image of Lexa in the mirror to her left. She looked like a successful capitalist investor in that women's black-gray suit. Who was she trying to fool? Lexa was beautiful, period. That she wasn’t her type? That was silly... Not even Lexa's desire to be rich diminished Clarke's attraction to her; above all, after she explained that she was raised in the bosom of a poor family. I shouldn’t have gone there with her now. Lexa obsessed her, awake and asleep.

Lexa set her feet on the third floor and grabbed Clarke's hand and kissed her.

"The perfect fiancé, right?" Clarke asked.

"I try."

Lexa tried too hard. Her hand fit perfectly with Clarke's, too much perfection for her own good. "You can release my hand; my mother is not in sight."

Lexa didn’t let go. "That you don’t see her doesn’t mean that she is not somewhere here."

"What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock."

"My mother is probably here, she's always on time." The establishment was elegant and refined, frequented by rich people and society alts.

"Maybe we should check in." Lexa said.

A tall, thin woman like a model approached them. It looked like it was coming out of the Vogue pages. "My name is Luna. Can I help you with anything?"

"Hi. I am Clarke Griffin," she forced a smile. This is Lexa Woods, my..."

"Her fiancé." Lexa shook hands with Luna. "We have an appointment."

"Oh, Miss Woods and Miss Griffin." Luna smiled, her white teeth contrasting with her dark skin. "I was expecting you. Please, sit down."

"My mother was going to meet us here."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but your mother called to say she couldn’t come. Anyway, don’t worry, I'm here and I'm prepared to help you with everything."

"Thanks, but I think we should schedule another date and cancel this one." Clarke tried to look disappointed.

"Why don’t we start now? You can talk to your mother after we're done, it'll take us more time than only this appointment." Luna sat in front of her desk. "I could send a fax to your mother with the articles you have selected."

"And send her a full report." Clarke sighed.

Luna pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. "Let's start now."

After ten minutes during which Luna directed them with a tablet with several sheets of paper, and Clarke looked around the glassware, porcelain and household articles. She couldn’t believe what she was doing. They weren’t engaged.

"Why do not we start with the porcelain?" Luna asked.

"Is that all right, sweetie?"

"Whatever you say, honey."

As they followed Luna, Lexa whispered in Clarke's ear: "Why so much affection?"

"I think Luna is going to send a full report to my mother, "Clarke replied in a whisper. Do you think you can handle all this?"

"I'll try." Then Lexa kissed her neck, and Clarke feared that her pulse would come out of her body.

Walking through the porcelain section, Lexa pointed to an ivory plate with a black-and-navy ornament, and a golden edge. "What do you think, sweetheart?"

"It's beautiful."

"Like you." Lexa smiled.

The flattery comes out so easily from Lexa that Clarke almost believed the sincerity of her words. But no, she hadn’t meant it. She just looked at Lexa and smiled too.

Clarke then lifted a plate of peach and blue flowers at the edges and center. "How about this?"

"It's nice." Lexa kissed her cheek and Clarke almost dropped the plate to the floor. "But those colors don’t go well with our decoration. I think we should be moving towards something more neutral."

Clarke set the plate aside. "You're right, sweetheart."

Luna beamed at her. "You make a lovely couple. Many couples are only interested in choosing the most expensive, it's clear that you are more interested in building a lasting home."

Clarke grabbed Lexa's hand and looked into her eyes. She wondered if she was doing all this for Luna or for herself. She didn’t really care if Luna was a spy for her mother.

"I'm just very lucky." Lexa stroked Clarke's hand with her thumb.

"We're both lucky." There, among the exquisite china and glassware, Clarke almost came to believe that they were the happy couple. And she liked the feeling.

"Miss Woods is right about the design and color," Luna said. "You need colors and designs from those who will last you forever."

Lexa released Clarke's hand and examined the design of another set of dishes. Clarke wished she would continue to hold her hand. But then she showed her a plate of strawberries and grape leaves around the edge. "What do you think of this one?"

"Perfect," and, to her disgrace, it was. If they would have a real wedding, Clarke would’ve chose that design. But they weren’t going to have a wedding. "Eight pieces, right?"

"Twelve." Lexa tenderly shook her arm. "I have a large family. We will have to use this set of dishes for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I can almost taste the turkey and the raspberry sauce."

And she, but ... Thanksgiving and Christmas? She couldn’t cook; she couldn’t prepare turkey or raspberry sauce. The situation was becoming even more ridiculous. So, she agreed and smiled. "Twelve it is."

Lexa smiled. "I want us to use our dishes every day. It doesn’t make sense to buy it only for special occasions. That way, we'll never forget this afternoon or how we choose it together.

I love you, Lexa. Clarke finally admitted that she had fallen in love with her. She had fallen madly in love. But, she couldn’t say that out loud, especially not in front of Luna.

And Luna's smile widened. "Miss Woods, I wish I could get a clone out of you."

And I wish she was really mine… Clarke thought, feeling a huge tightness in her chest.

"Now, let's get the glassware and cutlery to accompany the dishes." They all walked to the separate side of the store and the moment they got there, Lexa went and took a glass in her hand.

"How is this?" Lexa raised a smooth, tall glass. "I like this."

"It's Orrefors," Luna said. "Don’t you want to look at those in Waterford, which have different design?"

Lexa ignored the woman beside her, and made a gesture of toasting. "If we toast, are you going to kiss me?" Lexa asked Clarke.

"I would give you everything you asked from." Clarke swallowed and smiled. "You deserve it?" Clarke had only meant to touch her lips, but the moment she touched her, she couldn’t help but kiss Lexa fully. The rest of the world faded. There was only her and Lexa. She just felt her taste, her lips. She didn’t want that moment to come to an end.

But it wasn’t real.

When she pulled away from her, Lexa smiled. "If you always kiss me like that, I'd buy all this glassware in this moment. It would cost me nothing to get used to kisses like that."

Clarke could get used too. But she couldn’t do that. She couldn’t forget the pain of betrayal.

"Do you want to see the cutlery?" Luna interrupted them.

"Yes." Lexa took Clarke's hand again.

What she needed was to get away from Lexa, to be alone, to regain normalcy.

"Look at this, honey." Lexa asked then.

"It's perfect," Clarke replied. She was prepared to say yes to everything if that'll make them leave this store soon.

Luna pointed to another cutlery that contrasted with the black velvet on which it rested. "What do you think of this one?"

Two circles were the only decoration of the fork. Very simple, but very nice. Clarke liked it. "Yes, I like it."

Luna placed the silverware next to the plates and glasses they had chosen. "A wonderful choice. Everything merges perfectly."

Lexa put her arm around Clarke's waist. "Do you like it, sweetie?"

I like you. Clarke's stomach tightened. "Yes."

Luna smiled. "I've seen hundreds of couples and I have to admit that you two are a perfect match. I'm sure you're going to have a happy marriage."

Clarke couldn’t speak, she couldn’t breathe also.

Lexa pulled Clarke against her even more. "Thank you, Luna."

"If you give me the list, I'll give you a copy," Luna said. Clarke gave it to her. "Do you prefer to consult with your mother first, or can I put the choices on the computer?"

Clarke couldn’t go through the torture of doing all of this again with Lexa, so she said. "You can put it in the computer."

""I'll send a copy to your mother by fax," Luna said." Can you decide now which day it is convenient for you to return to choose other items? I'll be right back."

When Luna walked away, Lexa smiled. "It hasn’t been so difficult, has it?"

"It wasn’t…" It had been too easy… Too easy to forget they were faking all this. Clarke felt like a bride, as if she was really marrying Lexa. She wanted to marry Lexa. She loved her. She really loved her.

Lexa licked her lips. "Please smile. You have a face of having lost your best friend."

Clarke forced a smile, but it wasn’t easy.

"Is something wrong?"

What if something is wrong with her? She was pathetic. She had committed the madness of falling in love with Lexa, despite knowing that she shouldn’t. They were very different. She seemed too much like Finn. Lexa defined her success by the money she earned, by the power and prestige she could achieve. They lived in different worlds. Apart from physical attraction, they had nothing in common. Lexa wasn’t the right woman for her. What was she thinking? There was no one for her. She had to stop feeling like this; she had to stop being in love with Lexa. She didn’t want to suffer, and she didn’t want to be in love. Staying away from Lexa was the only way to archive that. And she had to get away now, in that moment, forever. "I want to cancel the party."

Lexa's eyes widened. "You want to do what?"

Looking into her eyes, Clarke resisted the temptation to melt. Lexa's thick eyelashes and green eyes should be on the FBI's dangerous weapon lists. She couldn’t look her in the eye and say no. Never. So, Clarke looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Lexa, but I can't go on with this farce."

Lexa grabbed her hand and walked her to the second floor, the ladies' clothing department. "Do you want me to buy you a dress? A dress for the party?"

"As if a new dress would solve the problem, Lexa."

She tugged at her hand, pulling away from Lexa. "I'm not like the majority of women, Lexa."

"No, you aren’t. But I want to buy you a dress for the party."

Had Lexa not heard what she had just said? She didn’t want to be in love with such a stubborn girl. She didn’t want to love her.  "Spend your precious money on whatever you want, but that's not going to change my mind. I don’t want an engagement party."

Lexa sighed in exasperation. "You say it like I want to buy you."

"No, you are trying to change me?" Clarke says. She hadn’t meant to say that, but she wasn’t thinking logically.

"What do you mean?"

Clarke walked over to hangers and pulled out a boring black dress. "Let me guess. You want me to wear something like that and complete it with a pearl necklace and comb my hair in a bun, right?"

"Is that so terrible?"

Yes! She wanted to scream. That's how she used to dress in the past. But she had escaped all this, had escaped all that Lexa wanted to achieve. The world of investment, the world of Lexa, made her feel cold. She wasn’t going back to that world, not for her family or for Lexa. "You don’t understand? It would be a lie, just like our supposed relationship. The engagement party is another lie and I'm tired of living lies. We have gone too far with this."

"I understand."

No, Clarke knew that Lexa didn’t understand. She didn’t know how she felt and she didn’t want to tell her.

"But, we need to talk." Lexa gestured to some clerks who were looking at them very obviously. "In private."

They were sitting on a bench in Union Square. Clarke stared at a streetcar heading to Powell Street. The driver rang the bell and the passengers waved. They must be tourists.

"Tell me why you want to cancel the engagement party."

Clarke shivered and Lexa put an arm around her shoulders. "I don’t want to talk about that."

"It's a shame, because we have to do it."

"Are you always so stubborn?"

"Only when there is no choice." Lexa smirked.

"I think it would be the best thing for us to cancel the party," she declared, a vague enough answer to Lexa's question.

"You'll have to explain it in more detail."

Clarke took a deep breath. "Choosing the wedding gifts has made me see that we have taken this too far. I want to stop now."

"We'll do it after the party."

"Now. Before I..."

"Before you, what?"

Clarke hesitated a moment. "Before the situation gets even worse."

"But the party..." Lexa tried again.

"It means a lot to you, I know, Lexa," she said sincerely. "And I wish I could help you."

"You can do it…" Lexa wanted to know what was going on inside that beautiful head when she felt Clarke's insecurity. She's still her girlfriend.

"It's not that simple," Clarke replied. "The party would be a real nightmare to me, and I know Emily's got something in her hands."

"Do you want to cancel the party because of your sister?"

"In part…" Clarke said impatiently. "Do you remember what I told you about when my parents put the stars on the roof of my room?"

Lexa nodded. "Yes, your mother was afraid that you would get pneumonia outside."

"That was not the only reason." Clarke said. "They did it because they were afraid someone would kidnap us."

"They thought someone will they kidnap you?" Lexa frowned.

"Being rich is not as fun as it may seem. One night I went to the beach to look at the stars, and they tried to kidnap me there."

The thought that something might happen to Clarke made her heart sink. Lexa pulled Clarke against her, never wanting to let her go. Never.

After a few seconds, Clarke moved away. "Would you mind if we go to the car?I'm cold."

Lexa wanted to keep hugging her, but Clarke was already on her feet. "OK, let's go."

"They couldn’t kidnap me because my father had hired a bodyguard to follow me. Emily and I had bodyguards, though we didn’t know." Clarke moistened her lips with her tongue and continued: "After that night, things got worse. I was the rebel, the one who didn’t follow the rules. My parents were careful not to get mad at me, but I knew I was the problem. Then, I felt guilty and then I tried to behave as they wanted me to behave."

"And? What happened next?"

"And I decided to make them happy. I did everything they wanted me to do. Of course, that made Emily very angry, because she was no longer the only perfect daughter. She accused me of faking the kidnaping to get attention."

"Rivalry? Jealousy?" Lexa asked.

"Yes, something like that. I thought it would get better when we got older, but ... A few years ago, I realized that I wasn’t happy being the person I had become, so I decided to change my life. Again, I became the black sheep of the family. I thought that would solve my problems with Emily, and that was a success... until Finn appeared."

As she crossed the street, Lexa took her hand. She didn’t know what else she could do.

"Three weeks before we got married, I found them."

"You found them?"

"Yes, in bed, in my own bed, Finn and my sister."

In her own bed with her sister. How could Emily have done that to her sister? And Finn's behavior had no possible excuse. Lexa wanted to punch Finn. "Clarke..."

"I had no idea what was going on between the two of them, that's why I felt so stupid, so deceived."

Lexa turned towards her and kissed her forehead. "You don’t have to tell me this if you don’t want to."

"I want to do it, I want you to understand," Lexa squeezed her hand and with that simple gesture touched her heart. "That morning, in the bookstore, I remembered that I had left some books at home. So when Jasper arrived, I went home to pick them up. As I entered, I heard laughter in the bedroom. I approached and it was when I saw them, although they didn’t see me. And when I heard Finn telling my sister that he was going to leave me to marry her, I ran out of the apartment before they saw me."

"And you didn’t face them?"

"No…" Clarke's lower lip trembled. "I broke up with Finn that afternoon. I left the apartment and gave the bed to a women's shelter. That's what everyone believes, including Emily. That I don’t know anything. They waited three months to announce the engagement; I suppose she didn’t want to rub it in my nose."

Lexa hugged her. Clarke's family believed that Clarke had left Finn. "Three months is not a long time."

"It was for them," Clarke said bitterly. "I've already gotten over Finn, I would never have been happy with him. Finn cared more about working with my father than about me. I never loved him the way..." Clarke bit her lip.

"Are you ok?" Lexa asked her after Clarke made a pause.

Clarke nodded. "The one who hurt me most was Emily. We have always competed and we have always been very different, but I felt so betrayed..."

Five minutes alone with Finn, that was all Lexa wanted. "I wish I could..."

"I don’t want you to do anything," Clarke interrupted." I just wanted you to know, nothing more. I don’t want to suffer like that again, I couldn’t bear it. Just like I don’t think I can stand an engagement party."

Lexa lifted her chin. "I would never harm you intentionally, Clarke."

Clarke smiled slightly. "I needed to hear you say that."

Lexa brushed Clarke's lips with hers. "Then I'll say it again."

"As for the party..."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Lexa said as she entered the parking lot. "Now, let me take you home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! In the next chapters there will happen somenthing that will make hate Lexa, but be patient. Everything is going to be okay.
> 
> Thanks for your support.


	9. The tattoo

The next morning Lexa was sitting at her desk. She had been reading the same note for twenty minutes, but she couldn’t understand a single word. For the first time in her professional life, she wanted the day to come to an end as soon as possible. It must have been a mental lapse, but she didn’t want to work. She wanted to be with Clarke. She leaned back in her seat and set the paper on the desk. She'd been thinking about Clarke all morning. Thinking that she wanted to continue to see her after their supposed relationship ended. It didn’t make sense, but she didn’t care. Clarke might not have been perfect, but she was too close to perfection. She was beautiful so different than any other women that she knew. With Clarke, she could relax, she could enjoy the little things in life. When she was with Clarke, she felt more alive than ever. The day before it had been the beginning, when Clarke shared her secrets with Lexa and dropped her walls. Now, Lexa wanted to know more, she wanted to know everything. She didn’t understand what she felt, but she had an overwhelming desire to protect her. Canceling the engagement party was the only solution.

How important was it to know some important people in Silicon Valley? She would do it another time, when she makes a partner in the company. Her desk phone rang. "Lexa Woods."

"Can you come to Titus's office? Della, Mick's secretary, asked. "He wants to see you, now."

"I'll be there right away." Lexa grabbed a notebook and a pen, pleased with the distraction. Titus would motivate her to work.

When Lexa entered Titus's office, she found him standing at his desk in a navy-blue suit and a purple tie. Titus had a smile on his face. "Come in, Lexa, and sit down."

Lexa sat down in the comfortable leather chair.

"I want to congratulate you, Lexa."

I knew, they made me a shareholder at last. Lexa thought. There was no longer any reason to make the engagement party. I could tell Clarke to cancel it, which would be the best for the both of us.

"Although my wife doesn’t understand why you have kept your engagement secret, we are very happy to receive the invitation to your engagement party."

Damn it… This was not it. But Lexa couldn’t let Titus see anything strange, so she said: "I hope you and your wife can attend?

"We wouldn’t miss it for the world," Titus replied. "But I was surprised. With so much work, I'm surprised that you had time to go out with anyone, much less that you were engaged."

"Clarke understands the demands of my work."

"Yes, I don’t doubt it," Titus smiled. "I am looking forward to meeting her, as well as the other shareholders."

"The other shareholders?"

"They are invited to go to the party, too."

No! No. That's impossible to cancel now. But she had to, she had to think about Clarke. However, the other shareholders? And Titus?

"Have you already set the date of the wedding?"

"No, not yet. Maybe in April."

"Keep me posted, okay? My wife will want to know all the details, she loves weddings."

Lexa nodded, pleased that Clarke wasn’t the kind of women who lived only for gossip, shopping and weddings.

Titus rubbed his hands together. "Well, would you like to come with me to InterTalk?"

InterTalk? One of Texas's star companies. InterTalk was creating the most advanced digital technology. "InterTalk? They didn’t reject us?"

Titus smiled. "That was before we partnered with Griffin Venture Group."

Partner with Jake's company? Lexa's heart sank, but she didn’t say anything.

"Jake and I have had several phone conversations lately. He has offered us a real opportunity."

Us? Lexa was still nervous. The collar of her shirt seemed to have shrunk and was now suffocating her.

"Such an opportunity only comes once in a lifetime, and I want you to be present when we make the deal." Titus said proudly. "Of course, we didn’t know you had Jake Griffin cornered," Titus said. "And it's something we're going to seriously consider. We don’t want you to go to Jake's company."

Lexa's actions were within the reach, but only if she went through with the engagement party. She had no choice. Surely Clarke would understand. "I like working here."

"I'm glad to hear you say it." Titus smiled.

*****

When the bookstore door opened, a bell rang. Clarke smiled to welcome the newcomer, but the smile faded when she saw Lexa dressed in black suit, the same suit she wore the night they met.

"Hi." Lexa said, smiling.

Clarke's skin prickled at the sound of her voice. "Shouldn’t you be working? What are you doing here?" Clarke asked the questions without thinking. She then paused and said. "What I meant is hello."

Lexa's charming and crooked smile almost made her faint. "The answers to your questions are "yes" and "I wanted to give you this" she gave her a box of chocolate covered strawberries.

"Thank you." Clarke opened the box and put a candy in her mouth. Almost as tasty as Lexa. No, she didn’t want to think about Lexa's taste. After spending the night before thinking about her and feeling absolutely vulnerable, she had decided not to see her again. But there she was. "A mid-day visit and a box of chocolates?" Something was happening. Clarke raised her eyebrows. "What's up?"

Lexa slipped a hand into her pocket. "Nothing…"

She didn’t believe her. And less with the way she looked around the bookstore.  
"There is nobody, except you and me. And don’t tell me that you came here because you wanted to."

"I have to go to Austin for a very important meeting."

"And you came all the way here to tell me that you're going on a business trip?" Clarke asked.

"Yes…" Lexa hesitated. "And to tell you that I'll be back in time for the party."

Did Lexa suffer from amnesia? "Don’t you remember what I told you yesterday? There will be no engagement party Lexa."

"Clarke, I remember perfectly what you said, and I was going to tell you to cancel the party, but that was before my boss called me in his office. He wanted to congratulate me on my engagement." Lexa paused before continuing. "Titus and the other partners have been invited to the party, and intend to attend. I'm about to become a partner. I need to show them... I know… Clarke, please."

As much as Clarke wanted her to be different, she wasn’t . Lexa wasn’t different.  
Last night hadn’t been real. Not even her understanding. Not even when she comforted me. And it hurt in the depths of her being, because she had thought it was real. Because she wanted it to be real.

"Come on, Clarke, what do you say?" Lexa was looking expectedly at her with her green eyes and Clarke didn’t know what to do. She wanted to help her, but at the same time she wanted to protect herself and she certainly didn’t want to feel the way she was feeling… So she thought about saying no, but then there was Lexa and her green eyes that were still looking at hers. She then thought what it would be to live with Lexa? She wasn’t good for her, she wasn’t what she needed. But, then something in the depth of her mind wondered, what if Lexa was what she needed?

Lexa then took a strawberry covered with chocolate from the box and handed it to her. "Take one, you'll like it."

One look into her green eyes and she was lost. Again. "Well I know it's good, but also I know I'm going to regret it. Like I'm already regretting accepting to continue all this."

"No, you will not regret it." Lexa passed behind the counter, where she was. "Thank you, Clarke."

"Don’t thank me," Clarke said, annoyed at herself for giving in. Defeated by a pair of green eyes. She felt discouraged. Instead of defending herself, she'd agreed to an engagement party when she wasn’t engaged to anyone. That's absolute insane.

"Why not?"

"It's you who gets what you want: actions in the company, contacts with the powerful people, everything. I get nothing at all." Except a terrible headache and a broken heart.

"I'll repay you..."

"You can't." Clarke smiled. Lexa couldn’t repay her anything, because what she wanted it was the thing that'll hurt her the most. "I'm not going dressed in black."  
"All right," Lexa approached her. "Go dressed in purple or in navy blue."

Glancing at Lexa's green eyes again, she grabbed the counter. "I'm not going to wear a pearl necklace either."

"Ok, wear diamond or crystals…" Lexa smiled.

Why did she have to be so close? She ignored the urge to curl up against her and smell her scent. "And I'm not going to style my hair in an Italian bun"

"Do what you want with your hair." Lexa put her hands on Clarke's shoulders "And I promise that I will return the favor." The green of Lexa's eyes darkened. She wanted to kiss Clarke and she wanted to much more than that, again and again. Alarm bells rang in her brain, but she didn’t want to think reasonably. She wanted to forget common sense, to forget the consequences of her actions.

Lexa lowered her head and kissed Clarke tenderly, as if she wasn’t sure what Clarke's reaction would be. But Clarke wasn’t in for tenderness. She wanted much more. She opened her mouth and pressed her body against her. An enormous pleasure filled her, dispersing her doubts. She wanted her, there and at that moment.

Lexa devoured her lips, wanted to kiss her entire body.

She's doing just because I said yes to the party and I should move away, and run far away. But. then Clarke decided to ignore what her reason was telling her and she kissed Lexa more passionately.

The doorbell rang. Lexa pulled away from her so quickly that it almost made her lose her balance. A woman with a child in a stroller entered the store. "We both have to get back to work," Lexa said. "I'll call you."

Lexa's trip to Austin would suit both of us, Clarke thought. A separation was what they needed. After the party, the separation would be final.

*****

Sitting on her futon, Clarke was trying to read a book, but she couldn’t get past the third page. She looked at the clock, eleven o'clock. It was after midnight in Texas, and Lexa hadn’t called her yet. For the last week, she had called her every day; sometimes the calls were short, and long at other times. Clarke didn’t care, she liked to hear Lexa's voice. Talking to her on the phone felt safer than when she was there with her. The distance was good for them, in the distance they were becoming friends.

There was only one more night left for the party. One more night for everything to end. Clarke ignored the pain in her heart, the pain of the idea of saying goodbye. Although she knew it was for the best, her heart had other idea.

The doorbell rang then. Who could it be at this hour…? With the book in her hand, she walked to the door. "Who is it?"

"Who do you think?" Lexa. Clarke's pulse quickened. "Open the door." Lexa had a bouquet of roses, lilies, and daisies in her hand.

She opened the door and said. "Hi."

"Hi," Lexa smiled.

Clarke was staring into Lexa's eyes and suddenly she couldn’t breathe.  
"Forgive me for coming so late, but the flight was delayed and I wanted to see you." Lexa gave her the flowers.

"They are beautiful." Clarke smiled and Lexa smirked.

"Can I enter?" She said.

"Forgive me. Yes, come in."

Lexa was carrying a bag and a bag for her computer, which she left in the hall next to a pile of Clarke's books. Then she took off her jacket and threw it on the futon. "You have a beautiful home." Lexa looked around. "It goes with your personality."

"Thank you."

The apartment was old, but with a lot of character: high ceilings, wooden floors, huge windows. Thanks to secondhand furniture in antique stores, Clarke had created a very welcoming home. She felt comfortable there. And Lexa also seemed to like it. Suddenly, she remembered the flowers in her hand. "I'm going to put them in a vase."

"How did you get this color for the walls?"

Clarke grabbed a vase from above the refrigerator. "I took a sample to a paint shop, opened it there and told them to prepare that color."

Lexa smiled. "Typical of you. I need you to help me give some color to my place. Compared to your home, mine looks like a jail."

"You just have to tell me when." Clarke filled the vase with water and arranged the flowers. "Well, I hope your week has been better than mine," Clarke said suddenly as she carried the flowers to the living room. She left the book in the kitchen, she had read enough that night.

"Why? What happened?"

Clarke set the vase on the coffee table. "You know I needed a someone desperately to be left alone, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, my family is intruding more than ever in my life. My mother calls me daily to make suggestions about the wedding. Emily also calls from time to time about the party. Even Finn has dared to give me some advice." Clarke sighed "The last few days have been a nightmare."

Lexa squeezed her shoulder. "We will survive."

The warmth of Lexa's hand nearly burned her skin. She wished Lexa never lets go. Never. "Just one more night."

"I wanted to talk to you about that," Lexa said.

No wonder she had brought her flowers. Another pleading? "We will not continue pretending to be engaged after tomorrow night. Lexa, I'm serious."

"Yeah, I'm sick of pretending too. But on Sunday, I want to see you. On Sunday, I really want to see you."

Clarke's hands began to sweat. "What if I don’t want to see you?"

"Try to get rid of me."

Those were the words Clarke wanted to hear.

"I've missed you, Clarke."

"Me, too," she held back the desire to start pacing in her living room. "Do you want a drink?"

With a flirtatious smile, Lexa took her hand and pulled Clarke to her. "The only thing I want is you. I was looking forward to kissing you again, but only if you want to."

It was too late to back out. Only an earthquake could stop it. In response, Clarke kissed her, exploring her mouth, savoring her warmth. She tangled her fingers in Lexa's wavy hair.

Lexa pulled her more to herself. Clarke wanted her. And Lexa wanted her too.

Clarke smiled.

"What's so funny?" Lexa asked, kissing her throat.

"It's nothing…" Lexa's kisses melted he, so leaned on her. "Actually, I was wondering if my back would take another session on the floor."

With little effort, Lexa lifted Clarke into her arms. "Where is your bedroom?"

Clarke felt safe in her arms. She pointed to a door and smirked. "I love when you take control of the situation."

"Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet." Lexa caught her mouth with another intoxicating kiss.

"Is that a promise?"

"It's a guarantee."

Clarke could hardly wait. Whatever happened would be fine. That night Lexa and her was all that mattered. She nibbled on her ear and breathed in her perfume. In the bedroom, Lexa laid her on the bed. She stared at her and read in Lexa's eyes how much she wanted her. With deft hands, Lexa unbuttoned her dress. Focusing on her, she made her forget everything except that moment. She felt as if they were the only two people left on earth and that moment was their destiny.  
Lexa lowered her dress to the waist and kissed her bare skin. She kissed her throat and shoulders, leaving her breathless. Clarke shivered. Never had tender kisses excited her like. Lexa was making love to her with her warm, soft hands and moist lips. She didn’t need champagne, candles or music for a romantic evening. All she needed was Lexa.

With a slight movement, she opened her bra, releasing her swollen breasts. Lexa took it off. "You're beautiful." She made her feel beautiful.

Lexa covered her breast with her hand and then lowered her head. Lexa tortured Clarke with her tongue, creating a powerful desire for satisfaction and Clarke wanted it so much. "Lexa..." She pleaded.

Clarke lifted her hips so Lexa could take her dress off. Lexa took the liberty of taking off her black stockings as well. Clarke was left with tiny, black, lace panties. The way Lexa looked at her made her feel more alive and more beautiful than ever. Then she went to take off her panties, but Clarke stopped her. Lexa was still fully clothed and Clarke wanted to make her feel the same way she felt. "Your turn." Her voice sounded so hoarse from all that built up desire. As Clarke kissed her, she unbuttoned her shirt and opened her pants. No sense wasting time. She took off her shirt.

Unable to resist the temptation, she kissed her chest and navel and Lexa trailed her hands over Clarke's body. Now it was up to Lexa to endure the torture of those overwhelming sensations. She licked her nipples and they, in response, hardened.

"Clarke, wait." But, she didn’t stop, but increased the pace of her kisses. "You're driving me crazy."

Clarke couldn’t get enough of her. "Now you know how I feel."

Lexa took off her pants and Clarke helped her lower her panties and Lexa stood in front of her, naked. She was so beautiful. Sliding her hand down stomach, Clarke stared at her. Pure perfection. She wanted to touch and kiss to the last millimeter of that glorious body. And that was what she did, without hesitation or shyness. Lexa moaned. She moved up and kissed her, then she put her hand on Lexa's most sensitive place. Each caress made Lexa shudder and moan. She kissed her again and stroked her to the point of madness.

"I want you inside already." Lexa whispered.

"No, not yet." It was burning and it was wet. But, Clarke wanted to tease her more.

"Please Clarke…" Lexa closed her eyes.

"First ... I want to find the tattoo." Clarke smirked and continued exploring Lexa's body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thanks you all for the support. 
> 
> I know that everyone wants Lexa to kick Finn in the balls but I decided not to go deeper with Emily and Finn. They did something awful and Clarke will have her conversation with Emily. I promise.


	10. The morning after

The next morning, Lexa opened her eyes. The rays of the sun illuminated Clarke's blonde hair and made her shine, that hair covered her breast like a satin sheet. She was pressed against her, her body warm and soft. She is so beautiful. More satisfied than ever before, she put a hand on her back and trailed it up to her neck. She felt so good there with Clarke. How could she be so lucky? Clarke was a beautiful, passionate woman. What if they were different? Their different personalities were complementing each other. Her stability would keep Clarke from floating away like a balloon; in turn, the vivacity that Clarke had would make my life more colorful and adventurous. And physically ... Lexa sighed. They fit perfectly; it was as if they were made for each other. After the marathon last night, that's what Lexa thought.

Clarke stretched and opened her eyes. "Good Morning." She caressed her chest. The caress tingled in her lower abdomen. Her moan was pure pleasure. Yes, Lexa could easily get used to it. "Have you slept well?" Clarke asked with a satisfied smile.

Considering that they had hardly slept, Lexa felt incredibly rested. "Yes, very good."

Clarke moved and sat on top of her. "That's great, because you're going to need all your energy."

Lexa started to burn. Clarke lowered her mouth to her. But, then the telephone rang. Clarke stared at the phone, not wanting to interrupt this bubble that Lexa and her had made over night.

"Don’t answer that…" trying to distract her, Lexa kissed her neck.

The phone kept ringing.

"It won't stop… I have to..." Clarke tried to get away from her, but Lexa didn’t allow her to. "Maybe it's something important from the bookstore."

"Let the machine pick up the message."

The phone kept ringing.

"I have to answer…" Clarke smiled and moved to picked up the receiver. "Hi ... No, I was awake, Emily. It's almost nine-thirty."

Frustrated, Lexa stared at the ceiling. Why did Clarke choose such moments to be responsible? It was so unpredictable, but that's why she loved her so much. Love her? Why had she said that? Lexa stared at her while she talked with her sister. She was falling in love with her. No, she had fallen madly in love with her. The thought made her smile. It was possible that everything would turn out well.

"Oh, I didn’t know they have gone there too ... Yes?" The color of her blue eyes darkened. "Yes, you can come if you want, but I can dress myself. No, Lexa is not going to be here."

Where was she going? She touched Clarke's arm. She moved her hand away.

"Okay, if you insist ... Until then. Bye." Clarke hung up the phone, sighed, and covered herself with the sheet. "That was Emily. She told me you've been in Austin with my father and Finn."

Nodding, Lexa pulled the sheet to reveal her breasts.

Clarke crossed her arms over her chest, preventing Lexa from pulling the sheet down. "Why didn’t you tell me?"

"I was going to do it."

"When?" She asked angrily. "After going to work for my father?"

Lexa ran a hand through her hair. "We're in a business together. Just one, honey."

"Don’t call me that."

"Clarke..."

"Emily told me that my father offered you a job."

"Did she tell you that I didn’t accept it? Because I didn’t…"

"Did you tell him that you didn’t want it?"

Lexa hadn’t done that. The job offer was a dream, a dream she didn’t want to reject. "No, not yet."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to talk about that offer with you," Lexa took her hand. "Clarke, I should have told you everything last night, but I was busy with other things."

She jerked her hand away. "With what, with seducing the daughter of Jake Griffin?"

"I was just thinking about you, nothing more." Her action made Lexa worry. How could she accuse her of seducing her? They both wanted what happened. "You're not being fair here. We both wanted this."

"What is not fair is what you have done." Clarke gritted her teeth. "You used this relationship, you used me."

Lexa looked up at the ceiling. "This business with your father has nothing to do with us."

"But the job offer, yes."

"I haven’t asked your father to offer me this job; he has done it because he has wanted to, voluntarily."

"You used me…" Her voice broke, "You used me to establish a relationship with my father. I should have suspected. I should have known that a person like you can't love someone like me."

Lexa loved her, but Clarke wouldn’t believe her if she told her that now. "If I wanted to use you, don’t you think I would have slept with you in Carmel? In case you have forgotten, I had the opportunity."

"Get out of my house."

"Not until I say what I have to say."

"You have nothing to say. I trusted you, Lexa," her lower lip trembled. "I should have realized you're just like Finn."

Clarke had no right to compare her to her brother-in-law. He was despicable. "Hey, wait a minute. If you trusted me, you wouldn’t be saying what you're saying now. You would know that I have not used you. Why does it have to be all white or black?"

"Because it's easier."

Lexa sighed.

"You must be very satisfied with yourself. Finn had to sleep with me and Emily to get what he wanted; you just had to do it with me."

"Please, Clarke, don’t overdo it. I'm not Finn."

"If you say so..."

Lexa was fed up. "Let's get things straight. It's you who approached me, and asked me to pretend to be your girlfriend. I haven’t hidden anything from you. I didn’t ask for anything. I didn’t want any of this."

"But you don’t complain about what you got, right?"

"Clarke, please you don’t understand, You don’t know…" She loved her. "Clarke, I ..."

She pursed her lips. "Don’t apologize. And don’t worry about the party."

"I don’t care about the party, Clarke...."

"Yes, of course you care. And don’t worry; I will not ruin your precious career. I'll behave like the perfect fiancé. But as soon as the party is over, I don’t want to see you again in my life."

"You can't be serious." Lexa is going to give her a few minutes to calm down. So, she pulled on her shirt and finished dressing meanwhile Clare stared at the wall. "Are you going to let this little misunderstanding get in the way of us finally being us?"

"Little misunderstanding?" She asked. "It's not a misunderstanding, Lexa. We have used each other. And yes, I'll admit my responsibility in the matter."

"Believe me, Clarke, I'm not using you, I don’t want to leave, without telling her how I feel about you. I couldn’t use you, because I ... I love you."

Clarke's eyes widened. "That doesn’t matter, Lexa."

"You won't change your mind?"

"No, I won't… It's because we want things different from life. We are different." Clarke said with tears in her eyes.

"We may be different, but that's not important. We complement each other and the fact that we are different doesn’t matter. It's not the important…"

"Leave. Please."

"Clarke ..."

But, Clarke didn’t say anything. She just turned around and went to the bathroom. Lexa saw that she can't do anything right now. She'll give her some time and then she'll talk with her again.

*****

Clarke put eye shadow under her red eyes to keep from being noticed that she had been crying all day. She needed to calm down. She had less than two hours before the party. Looking at herself in the mirror, she realized she had something to do with her hair.

The doorbell rang.

Her heart skipped a beat. She ran to open the door, not knowing why her pulse beat like that. Emily, in black pantsuit and a matching shoulder bag, carried a box of cosmetic items in one hand and the other curlers in the other. "Why did you think it was so important to come?"

"Because it's the first party I give as Mrs. Collins." Emily came into the apartment and left her things on the floor. "There are going to be a lot of important people at the party. I have to make a good impression and I want everything to be perfect."

"Including me."

Emily nodded. "Is it that so terrible, Clarke?"

"It's not that..."

Her sister was the perfect wife. The kind of woman Lexa wanted what she needed. No wonder Finn had left her for Emily. Just as Lexa would if she could. Clarke wiped her tears.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing…"

"Are you going to tell me what's going on, or am I going to have to guess why Lexa's travel bag and her jacket are on the floor next to the door?"

Clarke couldn’t believe that she left her things there. "Everything is over between us. We broke up."

"No, it's not over." Emily put her hands on her hips. "I'm not going to let a little fight ruin this party."

"Don’t worry; your party will be perfect."

"Thank God. Daddy would kill me." Emily put a hand to her chest. "I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

"Why did you say that dad would kill you?"

"The party was his idea; But, although, I don’t know why yet, he wanted that I plan the party."

Clarke didn’t understand, but she didn’t care at the moment. All she cared about was Lexa. If she... "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"No, the truth is that I don’t want to tell you anything." Emily went to the kitchen. Then she pulled a cucumber from the refrigerator and began cutting some slices. "Lie down and put this on your eyes." Clarke laid on the futon with a slice of cucumber in each eye. A drawer opened and closed. The water ran in the sink. Emily put a damp cloth on her forehead. "Do you have aspirins?"

"Yes, in the bathroom, but I don’t want an aspirin."

"They are not for you," her sister replied.

A few minutes later, Emily returned to the living room.

"Are you going to put on that navy blue dress for the party?"

"Yes."

"The pearl necklace from your graduation would suit you perfectly with that. And you should get your hair in a bun. I'm going to put some curls." Emily was being too kind, too understanding, Clarke didn’t know what to say.

"It's okay."

"Finn has told me that Lexa has spent the entire week talking about you."

"Yes?" Clarke wished that it were true. But it was too late. She felt a lump in her stomach, she was going to vomit.

"Yes. That girl is crazy about you." Emily seemed sincere.

"It wouldn’t work."

"Why do you say that?" Her sister asked.

"Because I know from experience ... with Finn. We are too different. Lexa doesn’t love me. Lexa wants me to be ..."

"To be, what?"

Clarke hesitated a moment before answering. "More like you…"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Although I can't imagine why she would want that."

"Because you're everything I'm not," Clarke said after a long pause. "You dress elegantly, you wear your hair in style, and you know what and when you have to talk, and what you have to say. You don’t give up, not like me."

"I'm bored and stiff. And also a little theatrical. I've been told I'm a snob more than once…" Emily sighed. "However, you are like a butterfly, like fresh air. You've always been like this. When we were little, you didn’t realize how beautiful you were, and you still don’t. And when you stopped being a rebel and started to behave, after the kidnaping ... you made me a shadow. And I couldn’t stand it. I hated you."

Clarke noticed that her sister had used the word hate in the past. "Emily ..."

"We're adults, Clarke," Emily said. "It's time to let go of jealousy and envy."

Could it be that easy? "But Finn ..."

"Listen, we could keep talking about it for the rest of our lives, but we will not be able to change the past. We can't change the past. Do you agree?"

Not knowing what to say, Clarke hesitated. She had always considered herself the victim of the situation and had never stopped to think about her sister's feelings. The least she could do was give up a little, it would be the beginning. "I agree."

"Are you in love with Lexa?"

"More than I thought it possible," Clarke admitted, and she was relieved to confess it. "But I want a life different from what she wants. I can't be the kind of woman Lexa wants me to be."

"Well, then don’t be. You know who you are," her sister said.

Clarke hadn’t been enough for Finn; she also wasn’t enough for Lexa. "Who I am is not enough."

"In that case, fuck Lexa Woods, she doesn’t deserve you."

"Emily, please ..."

Emily smiled. "Well, let me see now how your eyes are." Emily took the sliced cucumber off her eyes. "Yeah, a lot better. And now, let's get you dressed for the party. When I'm done with you, Lexa is going to faint when she sees you."

For a moment Clarke had forgotten about the party. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Because we're sisters," Emily said, "and it's time we started behaving like sisters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> As you may have noticed there will be one more chapter to this story. But, there will maybe be another part. What do you think? Should I continue this story or maybe one more chapter and that's it? Let me know please.
> 
> As always, thanks for your support.


	11. The end?

Lexa paced the lobby of the Pacific Heights hotel, her footsteps on the marble floor sounded around the room. Clarke was late. Would she attend the party? Or maybe not? Lexa needed her here. Not because of her job or her career, but because if she came that would give them a hope. Hope that maybe they can start this from beginning.

The huge glass door opened. A man and a woman entered the hall. Not her. Where was Clarke? The members of her company were already in the hall of the party, drinking expensive champagne and eating some delicious canapés.  
The door opened again. My God, let it be her. And now it was.

When Clarke came before her eyes, Lexa held her breath. No crystals or diamonds, but pearls. A necklace of pearls adorned her neck. Lexa couldn’t believe it. Two thin straps held light blue fabric that floated around her knees as she moved. Elegant, but slightly flirty. The dress was showing all of her curves. Enough to make her blood boil. "Clarke ..."

"Sorry to be late."

"It was worth it. You're ... amazing, dazzling."

"Thank you." She had gathered her hair in a bun, a few strands of hair falling down her cheeks. One pearl adorned each ear. "Nice tie," Clarke added.

Clarke had called her rigid and maybe she was, but she wanted to show her that it could also be spontaneous. So, on her way to the party, she'd gone through a Walt Disney store and bought a Mickey Mouse tie. It wasn’t much, but she had done it for her. Lexa smiled. Now was the time to tell her. She put a hand on her shoulders. "Listen, Clarke, I have to tell you ..."

The door opened again. Jake and Abby came in, followed by ... What were they doing there? Lexa tensed. "Hello Dad. Hi Mom."

Her father laughed.

"It's our daughter's engagement party and she's surprised that we're here. Children. Her mother kissed her on the cheek. "Jake invited us and sent us the plane tickets. Why didn’t you tell us you were engaged?"

"I wanted to do it, but it was so messed up ..."

"Well, are you going to introduce us to your girlfriend?"

"Mom, Dad, this is Clarke Griffin." Lexa forced the words. "Clarke, these are my parents, Indra and Gustus Woods."

Lexa saw panic momentarily in Clarke's eyes, but she recovered quickly. Smiling, she offered them her hand. "You don’t know how glad I am that you're here. Lexa is always talking about her family and the farm."

Lexa's father, happy, shook hands with Clarke. "Welcome to the family, Clarke. You have to come to the farm to visit us. It's beautiful there in the spring."

"Don’t be so subtle, Gustus." Indra gave Clarke a hug and smiled. "We are delighted to meet you."

Jake took a step toward them. "Before we meet the rest of the guests, I think this is the time to give the girls your surprise, Indra."

Lexa's mother took a small box from her purse and handed it to Lexa. "Your father and I thought you might want this."

Lexa opened the box. A ring with a single diamond shined. It was her grandmother's engagement ring. She felt a heavy weight in her chest and began to sweat.

Clarke's mouth fell open. "Oh ... It's beautiful."

"It was from my mother, Lexa's grandmother," said Lexa's father. "Put it on her finger." Her father nudged Lexa.

Not now. Not that way. Not when it meant nothing.

"What are you waiting for, son?"

Lexa looked into Clarke's eyes and her hand trembled. This wasn’t how Lexa wanted things to go. As she slipped the ring on her finger, she felt Clarke tense up. She saw her eyes sparkle and she saw tears in her eyes. But, none of them spilled.

"Is it your size?" Abby and Lexa's mother asked simultaneously.

Clarke showed the ring to the curious mothers. "Yes."

"Fantastic!" Jake gave Lexa a pat on the shoulder. "Good, let's go in. Everyone is waiting to congratulate the happy couple. And I'll bet Clarke wants show her sister the ring."

Clarke and Lexa didn’t say anything, they just looked at each other and then they all went inside.

*****

The next two hours passed at full speed. Lexa's dreams were coming true. Lexa ruled the room, accompanied by Jake greeting the high members of the Silicon Valley circle. Even the shareholders of Lexa's company seemed somewhat intimidated by the presence of so many personalities gathered there. Lexa couldn’t ask for more. A complete success. A perfect night. Except... Except Clarke's eyes were so sad. She was standing beside her parents, staring at the blackness of the floor. Clarke was playing her role, but she hated it. And does it meant anything the way she tried to cover her finger with the ring Lexa gave her...?

Lexa walked through the guests and touched her arm. "We need to talk."

Clarke nodded and led her into the wardrobe room. The heavy wooden doors significantly diminished the sound of the music and the conversations of the banquet hall. "I also want to speak with you. I am very sorry for my behavior this morning, I have exaggerated the situation. It has been easier for me to think that you have used me and I know you haven’t."

It was going to work out. It's all going to be okay. Lexa thought. "I should have told you what was going on. I'm sorry."

Clarke stared at the wooden floor. "It looks like things are going to work out for you."

"For me? But what about you? "

"Everything you want is there, in that room."

"Not all…" Lexa said. "Not you. I want you. I love you."

Clarke bit her lip. "I love you too, Lexa."

Those words were heavenly music to Lexa's ears. She hugged her and kissed her.

But, then Clarke gently pushed her away. "I love you, but I can't be with you."

"I don’t get it."

"It wouldn’t work, Lexa. I can't live the life you want."

"Clarke…"

"I can't Lexa. Please understand."

"You said that you love me. What about love then?"

"Love doesn’t change you're a capital investor. You need parties like these, contacts. You want to make millions of dollars. You want power and prestige. I don’t."

What does she expect me to do? That she wants me to leave everything for her? Lexa couldn’t forget everything she had achieved. She shouldn’t feel guilty. She was about to get everything what she had dreamed about and worked for her entire life. All. How could Clarke expect her to leave everything? "I have to abandon my dreams. Leave my family to be poor."

"No, Lexa you don’t understand. I'm not asking you to choose." Clarke took the ring from her finger and handed it to Lexa, but she didn’t accept it.

"I love you."

Clarke hesitated. "Sometimes, love isn’t enough. You need a woman who shares your dreams, the one that wants what you want. A woman who makes you happy. I'm not that woman."

Lexa loved her. Lexa needed her. She wanted to marry her.

Clarke forced Lexa to take the ring. "I'm not that woman," Clarke repeated.

"It doesn’t have to be all or nothing Clarke. We could reach an agreement."

"I'm sorry, Lexa, but I can't go back to that life. Not even for you."

"At least we have to try, Clarke. Please, let us reach an agreement. The success of the relationship is based on the two sides giving in."

"I can't."

And Lexa couldn’t do it alone. Before Lexa could stop her, Clarke returned to the banquet.

*****

Clarke stared at the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge on the terrace. She wanted to forget everything. She didn’t want to feel the pain that tore at her heart every time she thought of a life without Lexa. Shouldn’t have she given her a chance? Should she have been more flexible, given them a chance? The question tormented her. A door closed behind her. Her skin bristled. She wasn’t alone anymore. Lexa. It had to be her. Clarke didn’t turn around, she couldn’t. She clung to the railing on the terrace. All she could hear was the murmur of the fountain in the corner, Lexa's footsteps and her heartbeat. She was close to her, too close. Her warm breath caressed the back of her neck. Her arms brushed hers. The brief contact made her tremble.

"Aren't you cold out here?"

"I'm not. I love this view."

Lexa looked into her eyes. "It's beautiful."

The intensity of her green gaze made Clarke tremble again.

"Why are you here alone?" Lexa asked.

She had gone out on the terrace because the music was sad and the room was too loud. Or, was that her thoughts? "I wanted some air."

"Yes, the atmosphere is very heavy in there."

"You mean the air or the people?"

"Both." Lexa's response surprised her. She ignored the sting of regret. All she had to do was say goodbye to Lexa forever. It was what she needed to do. But, she couldn’t. Not yet."I want to talk to you…"

No, Clarke didn’t want to hear it. One word and she would end up throwing herself into Lexa's arms. She could forget that she wasn’t the right woman for her, that they didn’t belong together. "Why? We don’t have anything more to say. Except maybe goodbye."

Lexa leaned against the railing. "I wanted to ask you if you maybe need more employees in your bookstore."

Lexa wanted to talk about the bookstore? Without understanding, Clarke frowned. "I always need an extra hand."

"Great."

"Do you know someone who needs a job?"

"I need a job."

"You? That isn’t funny You already have a job and my father has offered you another."

"I don’t have it anymore."

"Quit joking around, Lexa. I'm not in the mood for jokes now."

"That is not nonsense, Clarke…" Lexa took her hand. "I've been thinking about what you said and I've decided that I prefer you to all the money in the world, so I'll leave my job on Monday."

"But ..." That was what Clarke wanted and needed to hear; however, it was the last thing she had expected to hear. Suddenly, Clarke realized. "You want to leave everything for me?"

Lexa nodded.

Clarke should start jumping for joy; However, she felt guilty. She felt guilty for forcing Lexa to give up her dream. "Don’t you think ... that 's too much?"

"It may be somewhat excessive, but what other alternative do I have?"

"I don’t know, but you can't sacrifice everything. It wouldn’t be fair."

"I do not care," Lexa said and caressed her cheek. "I love you, Clarke."

"I..." She couldn’t let her do that. Lexa would regret her decision. Maybe not now, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. There had to be another way. But what is it? She had agreed to forgive her sister, and Emily's betrayal had been the most painful thing that had ever happened to her. Maybe she should do the same with Lexa. It was that or... "What if we come to an agreement?"

"It's not a bad idea," Lexa rubbed her chin. "But I didn’t know that you knew the meaning of that word."

Clarke smiled. "I didn’t know too, but maybe it's time that I finally learn…" she says." I've been told that giving in is the key to a successful relationship." Suddenly, everything made sense. Lexa was making her see that not everything was black and white, that there were colors in between." You're too clever, Lexa Woods."

Lexa smirked. "Do you still want to reach a deal?"

"Yes." Clarke bit her lip. "Let's see, I'll accompany you to parties and business dinners if you accompany me to ... Sessions of poetry and ... And to yoga classes."

Lexa grimaced. "Yoga?"

Clarke smiled. "I can't believe I'm going out with an executive."

"You're not going out with me; I hope you'll marry me." Lexa knelt in front of her.

Clarke's skin prickled. She could hardly breathe. "Are you serious?"

"Completely serious." Lexa took the ring out of her jacket. "I love you and I want to marry you."

"Yes," tears of happiness surfaced in her eyes. "I love you too."

Lexa put the ring on her finger. After standing up, she took Clarke in her arms and kissed her. "Nothing more about girlfriends for weekend or a party. I'm going to be your girlfriend for life."

"No, you're not going to be my girlfriend; you're going to be my wife." Clarke smiled and kissed Lexa.

"I think I'm going to like being married to you, Clarke."

"Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody! That is for now. I still don'know what would be the second part but I'm going to do it. For now, I'll soon post another story that I've been writting. 
> 
> Thank you for all the support!

**Author's Note:**

> I look forward to your comments and I always take the time to respond to each of you, so if you feel like sharing something about the story, about the current chapter and want to ask a question, I'm here for you. Thank you for reading.
> 
> Also, I'm looking for an beta so if someone wants to help me with this stories, you are more than welcome
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes.


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